- Chapter Forty-Eight -

The Power Of 'I'

So... That happened.

Mirror casting back the image of a very disgruntled young woman, a very bedraggled heiress hovered by the edge of the sink, the odd movements of her hips causing her to occasionally bump the counter top. Alone but with the assurance that there was someone (in this case multiple someones) lurking just on the other side of the door, she did what little she could to clean up. No nice way to put it, thanks to the award-winning idea of putting her underwear back on after the fact, there was a touch more than sand sticking everywhere, grating and oozing in turn every time she moved so much as a muscle.

Dark brow twitching in annoyance as she scraped out another handful, she couldn't tell if it would have been better to just let it out on the beach with salt water or not. Probably not, and at least this way she had privacy...

From him.

Hostile and guilty at the same time, honestly Daniella was relieved in a way, because now she didn't have to acknowledge what had happened. Or rather, what hadn't.

Lost in the memory of her fingers wound through his hair, strong hands on her hips, and their breath mingling in the moonlight, Daniella sighed softly. Feeling her cheeks lighting up, the young woman bit her lip, focusing on all the good and wondering when it might happened again. Forefinger lazing close enough to play pretend, all it would take was a little more room, and then it would be all too easy to do more than just remember the highlights of the night. Lingering on the possibility longer than she ought to have, Dells could feel that creeping lure in the deep, beckoning slowly - she knew that she shouldn't, that they had to get on the road soon, yet the call was so strong. So strong.

"Get a hold of yourself." Certainly not the feelings a lady should have, the heiress shook her head at the pale imitation staring back in morose defeat, reminding herself of where they were. And not a moment too soon, it would seem.

Tap, tap, thump, there was a curt but firm knock on the door.

Afraid that it was Rafael or somebody else that she was in no mood to deal with at present, Daniella released the breath she'd been holding. Quite the tease it turned out, the young man was probably sharpening his stable of jokes while they waited on her to finish. On a good day she probably couldn't handle the roast without turning at least a little pink in the cheeks, so whatever he was planning would probably be unbearable.

"You alright in there?" Benign, it was only Elena.

For a professional TV personality, she was a remarkably good woman - ardent as the sun and balmy as thick socks on a particularly cold winter morning, personable as an old friend to a couple of strays, and above all, she made it a point to check on the heiress. It didn't matter if she had to go to the restroom or if Sam had to slip away: Elena was there.

Just this once, the girl wished that she wasn't.

"Yeah," Dells ran her hand under the cold tap, "just... there's a lot of sand."

Caught traipsing back up to the house - technically, the thief was carrying the stolen treasure in an effort to minimize the collateral damage - their story was that they had been on the beach stargazing, and after sitting for too long, she had tripped trying to get up. Bumping into things and missing her step twice that day alone, the display of grace was believable without raising any red flags. The rest, however, was a blatant lie that fooled no one.

Goodness personified (although the way it sounded, Elena had an evil side too), the journalist made the most generous offer when it became apparent that the girl would need another minute. Understandably, someone had to be awake to get Cassie to school. "If you want, you can just stay here for the night. Nate won't mind, and I'm sure we can find something that'll fit you." It went unspoken, however Dells could hear the rest clear as day, 'so you can take a shower while I'm driving the others back to the hotel'.

It was sorely tempting, but for as nice as it was, the hotel had a much more preferable sleeping arrangement. Feather beds, a fully stocked mini-bar, that type of thing - seriously, the faux phantom could really use the rest. Plus, on top of a moderately hot shower, there was the guarantee that she wouldn't be disturbed by the wrong person. Whatever it may have seemed like, she wasn't interested in being the starring attraction in the peepshow.

Mere thought sending a shiver down her spine, Daniella found herself reaching for the sterling knit and yanked it closer around her body. Not in this lifetime!

Loathe as she was to admit it, there was also another perk that came with staying at the hotel... Irritated as she currently was with him, Dells had ended the last two nights curled up next to the brunette, so it seemed a crying shame to end that pattern now. Pausing in her task to have a heart-to-heart with her twin, the girl concede that she would miss him, and maybe for more than tonight. Possibly.

Bait rejected, Daniella called back over her shoulder, "Thanks, but I'll be right out."

Nothing else to be done, the heiress sucked it up like man, tossing one last glance at the vanity. You got this!

...Right?

Ushering everything she had left, the young woman moved to put her underwear back on before freezing in place, one hand on the counter to support her weight and the opposite ankle raised to slip the fabric on. Thinking better of it, she reasoned with herself that her peach kilt was fairly long, and it was roughly a ten minute drive into town, so nothing should happen between here and there. Standing up straight to let the sturdy material of the midi swish back into place, the one-time back-up ballerina spun around on her heel repeatedly to make sure that it wasn't overly obvious that she was going commando. Praying that it would be fine, in her paranoia the young woman balled her soiled panties up and hid them in her sleeve (which in retrospect might have been the worst possible decision).

Eww. Eww. Eww! Something moist was sticking to her wrist, and she wasn't sure if it was red or if it was white. Ripping off a wad of toilet paper from the roll and stuffing it up the wide brim to stem any possible flow, the heiress would have paid her entire inheritance in that moment if that meant nothing came of her... miscalculation.

Immediately upon exiting the bathroom all eyes fell on the belle in the spotlight, and two pairs of eyes in particular were nothing but attentive. Both men stared unabashedly in her direction, however the ghoul of a girl couldn't bring herself to look at either one of them. Sam she just wanted to punch, and Rafael... Frankly he was making her think of her father again. Daddy was probably dreading this day ever since she had been born, but if he knew the type of person she had given herself to, he would probably be rolling in his grave.

Even though she too was probably judging the girl, at least Elena was a gem and wasn't making a spectacle out of it.

Grabbing her keys and sympathetically reaching out to the young lady when they caught one another's eye, the blonde wasn't remotely fazed when Rafael made to follow her out the door first. More than used to divvying up transportation duties with Nate, Elena didn't mind acting as the designated driver; anyways, the trio weren't exactly in a place to spend what they didn't have on cab fare. "Everyone ready?"

Left alone (more or less) for the first time since returning to what so-called experts referred to as the 'real world', realization dawned with a swift stabbing sensation to the gut. He and I... A lump formed in her chest, followed by the beating of a thousand wings. Refusing to settle for sixth place now that she had tasted the winner's circle, like any rational adult Daniella used the opportunity to leer venomously at Sam, making it quite clear that she didn't have a single thing to say to him.

Fingers grasping at dead air when he shrugged her off with the intent to peacefully follow the example of the others, she just barely caught the hem of his shirt and yanked him back for a quick (if not irrational) word. "I'm still mad at you!"

Onyx shading his already dark eyes, he let out a glum sigh, so much for this being different from any other one-night stand, "Alright. Why?"

Explanation really shouldn't have been necessary, so all the historian got for humoring her outburst was a healthy swat to the deltoid. "Really?!" Whisper-screaming her grievance in a hurried hiss, there were no less than seven separate ways to complain about the situation, although she went with the simplest, "I have sand everywhere!"

"I tried to warn you not to put them back on." Tone not helping matters, Sam spoke calmly, as if trying to explain something to his niece. Noticing how much the comment steamed the little one, he snorted when a thought occurred, "Wait, are you still wearing-?"

The Drake brothers might have had just about everyone else beat when it came to brains, but that didn't mean that she wasn't smart enough to consider all the things that could go wrong if something happened to compromise the trash. Vicky could find her way to the blood, the bag could rip open while being sorted, literally anyone could stumble upon the open bin and start to poke around for answers. Intending to dispose of the evidence herself where there were no dogs, married couples, or children to raise questions, Daniella showed him the sorry bundle of shame. Except she didn't hand her panties over so much as hurl them at the thief with the arm of a seasoned minor league pitcher.

Catching the non-lethal projectile in a humble show of braggy dexterity, the man peered at the plain pastel lingerie for a prolong period before his brain could comprehend what he was looking at. "Flattered as I am for the preview, you don't have to try so hard." Amused by her newfound daring, it was almost a shame that her royal majesty missed that he wasn't being serious in any capacity. "Not that I'm complaining."

Flustered like a skittish animal on the ropes, Dells was positively fuchsia as she risked concussing herself and spraining her neck in one fell swoop, "Pr-preview?! No, this... this is your fault! I don't..." Conveniently noticing the tissue paper that had fallen at her feet, she picked it up and muttered more to assure herself than convince him, "I'm not that kind of girl."

He approached the heiress slowly then, intrigued by the notion of her being 'that girl'. Considering her defensive words and how straightforward it was to flip her 'on' switch, the man was more than wise enough to read the undertones - little lady Adler liked what he showed her, and she wanted more. Of course decorum would never allow her to actually say it, but he knew.

Promises easy to make when they were unspoken and might not ever be remembered in the light, he swore to himself that he would get her to say the words. And mean them. In the meantime... Getting it into his head that he knew exactly what her problem was - after all, the way she kept gnawing at her lip wasn't what he would consider subtle - Sam closed the space between them.

"No?" He felt her body go tense as his arm enveloped her waist only to relax again a single heartbeat later. Knees knocking as she was swept away, for all her fire it was transparent that resolve was the one thing keeping her from melting into the embrace. Her eyes were searching his face for something then, but all he could think about was the way her chest brushed against him as their proximity shrank to less than the fabric that kept them apart. The ex-con let out a light chuckle before cupping her ass and bringing her body crashing into his. "You sure you don't want to be 'that' girl?"

My girl. His eyes glittered in the dim light.

Divining the half-hearted slap a mile away, the thief caught the heiress's wrist midair, breaking into a charming grin that she found to be downright irritating. Slack enough so that she could break away at any time, he continued to hold her limb on high while his free hand prodded around her lower back. Intimately acquainted with the scope of his own limits, Sam wasn't quite there yet, but there was no reason why he couldn't get Daniella ready.

"You just gotta say the word." Feeling no resistance whatsoever despite the showy display of ruffled feathers, Dells was right where she wanted to be, his lips hovering just over hers without actually making contact.

Trembling visibly from the escalating anticipation - a wet whimper caught between the tip of her tongue and vibrating off the back of her throat - it was obvious what he was doing, and she wanted no part of it. Nope, not one single thing! Not the very welcome grip dipping dangerously low, not the grainy scratch of stubble tickling her chin where their skin met, not the raw and rampant fantasies of what he could probably do to her right then and there... No, she clearly didn't want any of that...

Blush a deeper, more velvety shade of scarlet bloom than had ever been recorded in the whole of history, Dells ripped herself away from his warmth before anything might happen. They're probably waiting for us... We should get out there... before I... before we...

Head swimming from the overwhelming scent of sex and cigarettes, there was another layer just below the surface, a rich musk that she secretly hoped would be etched into memory. Shaking her head of the heady smell, the heiress tried to take a step back. Her hope was that even a little distance might clear things up, however the brunette still had his arms around her waist, acting as an anchor to the earth. Questioning if they really had to leave, before she realized what had happened his lips were briefly pressed against hers, and then the man was on his way out.

Dirty trick!

Torn between if she approved of the tactic or not, Daniella grabbed him once more, only as opposed to vent about exaggerated slights, this time the heiress wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered into his ear. Mouth lingering a moment longer than it had needed to, the young woman was gone soon enough, sashaying off to get in the car. She still had a few things to learn, but dammit if he wasn't enjoying the journey.

"Seriously?" Bleary-eyed and just barely able to discern the form of his older brother, Nathan caught the tail-end of the scene on the way to bed. Tired as he was after a long day, his still managed to shake his head, "Time and place, Sam."

Miming affront effortlessly, the brunette childishly pointed at the door, "She started it."

Too tired for any of it, Nate just rolled his eyes and shambled the rest of the way down the hall to his room.

Outside once more, Sam took a deep breath and savored the damp wind riding in from the coast, eyes passing over the beach before he made himself scarce. Everyone else already seated and waiting on him, his sister-in-law jerked her head back, gesturing for him to let the lead out. Rafael, apparently in mid-speech, closed his mouth and proceeded to buckle up when the final party membered joined. Dells was seated behind Elena so that the brunette had room to get in, her forehead pressing against the window as if the glass might cool her down. Wooden and unresponsive, for a moment he honestly thought that Sleeping Beauty might have been living up to her name, however she finally acknowledged his presence after he was situated.

Remembering at the last moment that she was supposed to be mad at Sam, Daniella threw her hand out to stop him from getting too close. "Still furious."

Never not interested in getting under Sam's skin, the young man turned as far back around in his seat as the safety strap would allow, tittering, "Aw, is the pretty princesa mad that her geriatric knight dropped his lance in battle?"

"Hey!" Sam obviously took offense to the jab, but he left no sign that he cared in the slightest if everyone knew the truth or not, "I'll have you know that the young lady got her money's worth!"

Unable to stifle her amusement (and the distant recollection of something about a ten dollar tour), it was all Elena could do to hold herself back, "Wow. You know, Nate and I had a working theory, but I never suspected you would confirm it like it was nothing. I have to ask, what's your going rate?"

Stung that the woman would side with the little runt (even though he himself would have probably sided with the funnier side, regardless of social ties), the brunette just looked at the blonde blank as a slate. "And with that you've just been crossed off my Christmas list." With heavy black lines.

About to blurt the truth out to defend Sam, Daniella caught herself before the gun could go off and she'd find herself short a toe or two, "No! He..." Crossing her arms and actively rotating towards the window, she kept up her act and scowled, "He knows what he did."

"You too." The chances they would still even be in contact by that time was slim, but it never hurt to let the heiress know where she stood in terms of expecting anything for the holidays.

"Oh-ho," a sleek alley cat that ate the engorged pet canary, he grinned at the older man, "so you did do something!"

Good going, Dells. "A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell." Playing up the charm and falsifying innocence as easily as breathing, the brunette acted as if touching his hand to his heart would solidify the display.

That was the point Elena focused more on the twisting of the road than the conversation, although her natural curiosity wouldn't allow the fact that they were talking about her in-law to deafen her entirely. Worst case scenario, things were said that Nate never needed to hear repeated. Best case... Truthfully, she had no clue what the ideal outcome would be. As family she wanted Sam to be happy, but for as long as she had known him, she still wasn't sure what that would mean in the big picture. At times, she questioned if he even knew.

Clearly doubting what he was being sold, Rafael shook his head and laid it straight out there, "I don't know which part I'm more skeptical of - the bit where you're a gentleman, or the claim that it was just a kiss. I wasn't born yesterday, I can tell that you both came up to the car more than a little bit out of breath."

"It's an expression-"

Sam started to explain, but was cut off by the stooge in the front seat, "Yeah, yeah. Either way," he winked at the girl, just to get under the increasingly thin skin of his traveling companions, "I could do more than kiss you."

Blood boiling enough to make a fist (and get the girl to worriedly drop her guise without a second thought to put a comforting hand over his), he grit his teeth, "And I can do more than finish Legion's work, you little punk."

"Logan." Closer to neutral than anything else now, Dells corrected Sam under her breath, hypothesizing that it was an almost automatic response born from gratitude. They weren't going to become best friends any time soon, but he had been there for her, so it was the least she could do.

"Okay boys, that's enough." Elena was one to let the guys have their fun, but not when it came at someone else's expense. Catching the heiress change her entire demeanor in the rear view, the woman thought that a sidebar might be in order once they arrived at the hotel. The girl was upset by what was being said, clearly, but she had the hunch that there was more to it than that.

Backing off for the time being, Rafael had only one last thing to add, "You know where to find me." Maybe blowing a kiss was a bit much in hindsight, but in the moment it felt like the right thing to do.

[At The Hotel]

Cordially shaking Elena by the forearm and bidding the others a good night with a final advisory that they shared a relatively thin wall, Rafael exited the shuttle with a prolonged yawn. Shopping, packing, unloading, and sorting had taken a good deal out of him, so even though there was an open invitation to join in tomorrow's itinerary, there was no obligation to show up. This was all Drake's deal, but that wasn't to say that he wasn't enjoying himself - provided his neighbors weren't a hindrance to his beauty sleep, the young man didn't mind tagging along.

"Buenas noches." With an unseeing wave, he was gone.

Ancient metal hinges creaking in want of fresh oil as the rear door was opened, Sam made to follow suit after a last half-hug to his little sister up in the front. "Eleven-thirty, right?"

Elena nodded without having to think about it, "Provided Chloe's flight is on time." All reports indicated that the weather would be sunny that whole weekend, but damned if any of the airlines weren't going to make the experience as miserable as they possibly could. "Mary-Elizabeth and the boys should be in around noon."

Figures it would be the dreaded Ms. Ledford's turn to have the boys - a trait he shared with their father, Sam would much rather have it be Layla in town for the party, but it was what it was. "Gotcha. Any idea if Cutter will manage to show?" The thief only got a shrug in reply. "Well that sucks. Ledford's on him, so if we have to suffer, he should too."

There were a lot of names being thrown around that the heiress didn't know, however even if she had been more acquainted with the friends of the Drakes, they wouldn't have meant anything to her anyways. Not when her head was a million miles away. Wearing the grimace she had on when Rafael had departed, now that the two of them were back at the hotel Daniella was considerably more mixed up than she had been during the drive over.

Despite her best efforts at acting like she wanted nothing to do with him, at some lost point during the ride the thief had bridged the space between their physical beings in silence. Going from the heiress restraining him from unnecessary violence to the brunette working a magic of his own, it began on his own terms after he tore away to run his fingers through his hair. He would have pulled out a smoke, except he had been amply warned against doing any such thing in the past.

Hazel-blue pietersite shifting through the bumpy gloom and lingering in place until confirming that she was paying attention, Sam lightly nudged the side of her hand. Edging ever closer, his fingers had tap danced across the bench to rest for a short while. It was an amicable beginning, a start that could've been an entertaining show if there had only been music.

Secret from anybody that wasn't them, a gentle touch morphed into a bawdy knuckle graze. Just like what had happened back at his brother's place, before she knew what was happening, he was guiding her wrist away from home.

Instinct leading her to believe that the adventurer was going to mutely request an exchange program of sorts, instead the man intertwined their fingers. Modest as the motion was, it practically sent her heart thundering up where it didn't belong to get stuck in her throat.

Focused on keeping her eyes on the darkened nocturnal scenery blipping by as to not rouse further suspicion, the young woman's fears were immediately put at ease when she felt their joined metacarpus grazing the outside of her thigh. Holding hands was just a step above her pay grade, but a sex thing she could handle. Because that was totally normal.

Although, as the subtle unity began to rub up against the crude folds of her apricot petticoat, Daniella realized that there was another emotion bubbling to the surface: disappointment. Mind shutting down as it tried to comprehend why she would be sad that the gesture wasn't what she thought, her body had been all too willing to allow the petting.

Intimacy was the deadliest of the diseases, the more fatal of mankind's many evils, and a word that held no place in the world of the lonesome and the wealthy. There was an artful mimicry the more vicious mastered, a silent war that blurred the lines of ethics and the definition of what was just a game, but the Adlers were above such. Even amongst the other elite, they played by their own rules, and with however many players they willed - for Daniella, it was a game of no one, because she had been failed so many times prior.

Emotional intimacy was out of the question for the likes of the heiress, even though at its core it was the one thing she longed for more than anything else. Trust, laughter, something that wasn't quite love as it was usually depicted, the idea that someone else would willingly just want to spend time with her because it was what they wanted... How could that have been anything other than a dream?

But sex? That had seemed simple enough to wrap her head around. True it still boiled down to one party just using the other, but at least that way it was a far more honest exchange, unlike day-to-day relations.

Were you the same as me? Did you also feel the crushing weight of expectation and the same crippling isolation when you refused to join the game? Is that how you ended up with Mama, because she was always honest with you? Was there a part of you that truly cared about her, even just a bit? Or had it all been an arrangement centered around intercourse?

And what about Sam?

Now that the pair were mere feet away from sanctuary, the needy pawing could resume - hell, it could even end up evolving from this light toying to the real deal. Worked up since they left the beach side residence, the young woman didn't mind the possibilities so much in theory, however she was dwelling on what would happen if she couldn't see the fireworks this time.

Ignoring that one brief millisecond in favor of what she could understand, if playing her Stradivarius hadn't earned a standing ovation, the thought might have occurred that there might not have been such a thing as a climax after all. Except he had gotten the call for an encore performance, and even if he hadn't gotten even that much out of her, the college-age débutante knew from personal experience that there was better than the note they'd ended on.

Thinking up possible fixes to what in fairness could have been a one-time fluke, Dells pondered upon letting herself get truly comfortable with Sam. Perhaps if they took it slower and explored together, shedding away everything and even sharing scars...

Dandy as that read on a page in some romance novel, that would probably only lead to the young lass getting too close to being the girl that hoped for things like having her hand held. As she said to the younger Mr. Drake, while that worked for some types of folks, that wasn't her shtick - love was for saps. But what was the alternative? It was either that or be a little tramp, and that fate was even more frightfully daunting!

Isn't there any grey?!

"Don't let the door hit you on the way in." Gruff Boston accent bringing her back to the present, Sam waved Rafael away before removing himself from the SUV, "And you." He pivoted around to help Dells, "You still mad at me?"

Yes. No? I have no clue anymore... Shying away to hide her face in the shadows lest she betray even one of the thoughts struggling for escape, the girl ignored the hand he had offered and slid down the bench-like seating to hang there on the edge. Perfectly capable of getting out of the car herself, there was a part that wouldn't have minded staying there all night if it meant she didn't have to face anyone for the rest of the week. Once they were inside, there wouldn't be any more hiding.

For everything that was racing through her head in that moment, the heiress wished that she could just bury her head in his chest and not have to think about anything. How can you still be my refuge when you're the one tormenting me?

An angel sent from above, Elena answered her prayer. "Can I borrow her for a minute?"

Halfway through a nod, it took the young woman a second to register that Elena was requesting an audience with her, not Sam.

Obviously faster on the uptake, the brunette cast his little sister a questioning eyebrow quirk, searching her face for a hint of what she would want with the heiress now. Placing his money on the old 'birds and bees' talk, he relented with a small dip of the head and just ambled ahead. The girl would find him when they were done, and in the meantime this gave him time to prepare.

Until that point it hadn't been in the other woman's character to be nasty, but due to life, the younger couldn't help but to wonder if the blonde wasn't going to drop the act and make with the threats. Given everything that had happened on her property in the last hour or so alone, flipping the script wouldn't have been completely unreasonable.

So not what she was expecting, Mrs. Drake (Fisher? The business was called D & F, but honestly Daniella was confused as to which was accurate when she was more than happy to go by her first name) advanced for a more intimate conversation. "Are you okay?"

Every muscle demanded her to bolt when the blonde leaned across the divide and got close enough to count the lighter flecks in her irises, but the heiress stayed rooted firmly in place. It would have been simple enough to just assume that the question was a mere formality, but it made no sense to go out of your way for forced pleasantries. As much as experience wanted to doubt this olive branch, it seemed sincere. Then again, so had some of the others...

Hopelessly watching as her last remaining pillar slipped further and further away, Dells crossed her arms defensively over her ribs, "Fine. Why?" Normal kids her age would have asked to be sassy little assholes, but she genuinely failed to understand why the blonde would care when they would never have to see one another ever again after a few more days.

Gathering beforehand that the scrappy survivor wasn't going to be a cake walk to correspond to, she remained undeterred. "I know its probably not my place as a stranger, but I just wanted to make sure you'll be alright." Sure as she was about checking in on the girl, what Elena wasn't positive about was how to go about it. So far she had monitored the situation from afar, but now that things had escalated the way they had, she couldn't be passive anymore. "So I'm going to ask again: Are you alright?"

"Oh." It could have been a cinch to lie and say that everything was coming up roses, or to even just get up and walk away from the conversation, yet the young woman found herself staying. Even more baffling was that she gave an authentic answer. Well, authentic enough. "I'm fine, really."

A lousy liar, she wasn't convinced and neither was Elena.

No matter who it was with this was a talk that no one ever wanted to have, although for what it was worth, Dells could tell that there was genuine concern in the journalist's eyes. It almost made her willing to try, especially if it meant sorting out even one of the problems that she was being bombarded with. Most of which were of her own making, but at least this was keeping her mind off the pitch-black horror.

Pros so far outweighing the cons, the fact that Elena was Sam's family was never far from mind, nor was the fact that they were still no better than strangers. Although by that count, so was the thief...

Sensing the hesitation of a source that didn't want to talk, the reporter took a step back and tried again, "We don't have to get into this whole thing if you aren't comfortable with it. I just want to make sure you don't drown out there - it's a lot, opening up to someone. Even someone you trust."

Trust.

Daniella trusted her daddy to come back home to her like he said he would, but he died. Sick as it was looking back, she trusted her mom, and she lied. She trusted Keaton the way a child trusts a constant presence, and the family employee had vanished without a trace. She trusted Shen and to some degree Jun, and they had both fallen victim to her mother (which admittedly almost exonerated them). She trusted Carissa once, and look what had happened there. She tried to trust Tennessee out of pity and guilt, but that had only welcomed high school drama. To be truthful, she couldn't say that she exactly trusted Jay, however for the longest time he had been the most stable thing in her life.

For better or worse, she did trust Sam. So maybe she could trust his family too...?

Peeking uncertainly over the other woman's shoulder towards the room, the heiress took a wild leap of faith that screamed bloody murder out against everything that she had ever known. It could have been that there was just something about the blonde that pulled you in, or maybe she was just sick of pushing people away and assuming the worst every single day. Whatever it was, Dells saw something that made her think that just this once everything would work out against all the odds. Most likely her fried last remaining braincell was swamped and needed some kind of output before it self-destructed.

"Trust is a lot to ask..." Daniella met the woman half-way and closed the door so they could converse in private.

Much as the girl hesitated, for a moment Elena thought the heiress was going to leave her hanging, but that ended up not being the case. She was glad. "I realize that it might be a little strange talking to me, but I want you to know that I'm always here as a totally objective third party if you ever need someone to talk to. You don't have to go through this alone - so if you don't want to talk to me, Chloe should be here soon."

Miss Frazer? There was a certain familiarity there, yet however much she liked Chloe, something told the heiress that the woman might not be the best choice to talk to about this. While there was the remote chance that she came with an off switch and might be able to be serious when the time called for it, the beauty had not left the impression she was capable of the feat without cracking one too many jokes beforehand. Daniella's confidence was fragile enough without some kind of ribbing about how both brothers were involved with blondes now.

No, there was too much on her mind, and if she was going to open up, she'd rather it be with someone that would take this seriously.

Abandonment issues very real, Dells looked at the reporter cautiously, as if the other woman had just admitted to spontaneously vomiting up acid without warning. "Just between us?"

Holding up her hand in the universal gesture of scout's honor, she nodded earnestly, "Just between us."

Letting go was never easy, yet Dells confessed with the understanding that no of this would ever be repeated after tonight, "I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm overwhelmed, and I'm just... I'm at a loss."

Keeping up the cover story as a means of cleaning up any unsavory imagery, Elena wasn't entirely sure how to put it delicately, although for both their sakes she wanted to try. This was a safe, judgment-free space, but that didn't mean that she wanted to picture her in-law in that light. "Well for starters, have you ever 'stargazed' before? With anyone?"

"Not exactly." There wasn't a need to tell anyone else about Jay, was there? Daniella certainly didn't think so.

Elena repeated the two words in her head, interested to dig into what 'not exactly' all entailed, however that was one story she'd have to bury, as it was none of her business. All the same, due to being a mother with a daughter of her own, she couldn't help but to worry about the girl anew. Add in everything that had been properly sourced (or heavily suspected) about the kid, and it was hard not to. How can her mother live with herself?!

Talk about to get very uncomfortable for the adult now, the pendulum swung the other other way. "Were you two being safe?"

Ha, the blonde almost laughed at the use of the word 'safe' being used in the same sentence as one of the Drake brothers, especially when said sibling was Sam. Seriously, out of the almost countless number of people they knew, why did it have to be Nathan's older brother? To be fair, one of her first priorities when the time came with Cassie would be to ask the same question. The other two would be holding a lovely service for a very dead beau and bribing the prison to bail out an even more incarcerated Nate.

"Um..." Cheeks flushing and floor suddenly very interesting, the heiress didn't want to talk about that when in theory she should have known better.

Sam was usually pretty good about that kind of thing from what Sully and Nate said, but it didn't sounded like there had exactly been any planning involved. The woman hoped for Sam's sake that they had something back at the hotel for situations like this. Making a mental note to make a very discreet stop at the pharmacy tomorrow just in case they didn't, Elena was half-tempted to give her brother-in-law another good talking to. He'd behaved himself around her for a long time after Libertalia, but this wasn't about her, it was about that lost little girl that stumbled ass-backwards into this life.

Brushing at her skirt as if it were still covered in sand (although there a good chance it really was), Daniella tried to think of a way to salvage the situation but couldn't come up with anything better than a meek promise, "I'll do better next time. If there's a next time."

A next time was almost guaranteed, so even though the prospect didn't leave her jumping for joy, the former correspondent could only rely on them to do right by themselves. The heiress may have scratched the greener side of the fence, but the truth was that they were both consenting adults. What they did or didn't do was completely on them. "I think you mean when."

Not sure the woman would be singing that same tune if she knew how badly she had messed up, the awkwardness was about to near critical peak. "I..." About to say that she wished, Dells caught herself, "I think I made a mistake."

Doubtful that the girl meant in selecting her partner, Elena softened as the real problem prepared to present itself, "What happened?"

"Is it normal to..." Blush creeping back with a vengeance, Daniella glanced away from the sun and traced her fingers along the door handle, "Not see stars your first time?"

Taken aback when reviewing the facts, she understood what the girl was saying, however Sam seemed a little too pleased with himself to be privy to the truth. He hadn't exactly just shouted that they'd finished having sex when everyone met up, but he was practically grinning from ear-to-ear. "I can only speak from experience, but honestly it took me a while to figure that all out. My first boyfriend never found that special place-"

She hadn't intended to interrupt, but Daniella was honestly tickled pink to hear that there was still a chance. "Will I know it, when I find it?"

"You'll know it." Elena affirmed.

Embarrassing as it had been to ask that much, there was still more to it, a nagging feeling that wouldn't let sleeping dogs lie, "Even if you feel it one way... but not another?" Dells motioned with her hands to illustrate her point when she saw the confused tilt to the other woman's head.

Picking her words with care, Elena spoke slowly, "It might take time to get into the groove, but when you really get to learn your body, with the right partner and the right care it should be less of a problem."

"Do you think I should tell Sam? That I didn't...?"

That was tricky.

Records indicated that one of the fixes to this kind of problem was communicating with your partner, and personally the journalist believed in full disclosure, so it should have been an automatic yes. Marriage a different race horse than just a casual fling, no matter what the type of relationship, she knew from personal experience that it was easier said than done to come clean. Considering all angles before opening her mouth, she also knew Sam. Obviously he was a big boy and could take that conversation, although as he was prone to sulking, there was no insurance that it would be a breeze to get through.

"I think..." studying the girl and how seriously she was taking this, the blonde approved of the idea for the first time, "you should always establish an open line of communication with anyone you engage with. Any sort of relationship. Business, or personal, it's just healthy. The key is to find the way to go about it. Sam... he's not always easy, but he's one of the good ones."

Daniella knew that much already. And she realized that he deserved to just hear the truth, hard as it was going to be. "He is."

Grateful to the woman for the guidance (more deeply than a million words could ever express), Dells moved to hug the woman, although she broke at the last moment and ended up lingering awkwardly in midair. Protective of her family, the woman would have questioned the gamble more if she hadn't had this talk with the young woman. It might have been too early to tell, but this one might do some good for the ex-con. Going all in, Elena completed the embrace, arms nothing but warm, tender, and supportive.

"No matter what happens, take care." Of yourself, of Sam.

Smiling at the other woman, Daniella nodded into the hug, thinking to herself, Cassie is really lucky to have you as a mom.