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

Chapter 19: DNA

Amanda untied her bathrobe letting it fall to the ground, exposing her simple black swimsuit as she climbed down the ladder into Nolan's swimming pool. The cool water hit her instantly, goosebumps dancing across her body. But the morning chill of this swimming pool was nothing compared to the morning chill of the ocean. Swimming in those waters gave a real shock to her system, but she embraced it, she fought the chill as her father had taught her because once fully submerged, it didn't feel half as bad.

Her father….was he watching her from up there? Was he angry that she wasn't his kind little princess anymore, or was he happy that she was fighting for him? Because she was, she was trying so hard.

Taking a deep and slow breath Amanda squeezed her eyes shut and plunged her head down into the water, holding her breath. She needed to become stronger. If she wanted to clear her father's name she needed to become stronger but she could not let her emotions control her, like yesterday. She needed to be the one in control; control of her actions, but especially her emotions. With her head underwater and her feet planted steadily on the pool floor, Amanda fought the familiar feeling of panic rising inside of her from her body's lack of oxygen. Just a little longer she thought, just a little stronger she wished even as the tightness in her chest began to burn and she began to lose focus from the faintness of her head. Thirty seconds later, Amanda sprung up from the bottom of the pool, finally allowing herself to come up for air, the first sharp inhale of oxygen stinging her lungs. Water gave her a sense of renewed clarity that she couldn't explain. That's why she liked getting into the water in the early morning, when it was just her and her thoughts alone. When she could tease with death for the sake of focusing her thoughts without interference.

"Have you calmed down from yesterday?"

46 laps later….she'd been counting, Amanda stopped swimming and turned her head to see Nolan sitting on the lounge chair watching her as he sipped on a green smoothie. How long had he been there? He looked comfortable.

Amanda sighed, wringing the water out of her ponytail before swimming to the ladder and climbing up out of the pool and onto the patio. She'd been aiming for 50 laps, but she didn't want to swim with an audience.

"I'm calm" she finally replied, as she caught the towel Nolan threw her way.

Nolan stared at her scrutinizingly, as though he was looking for further reassurance, or maybe just an apology, or acknowledgement that her actions yesterday went too far, but she couldn't give him that, not right now, her head was still muddled. So she just silently stared back, challenging him to say something.

"There's a smoothie on the kitchen counter for you, please drink it," Nolan replied with a sigh, "You need your strength".

Amanda nodded her head slowly, feeling a tightness form in her chest. Why was she so difficult and Nolan still so kind to her? He didn't owe her anything, well legally her inheritance when she came of age, but he didn't owe her his kindness, or his help, or his house. She was sharp and prickly like a rose's thorn, trying to repel people from showing her affection. But yet, still he tried. Even after she'd blown up at him yesterday Nolan still made the effort of making sure she ate. That was something she was not used to. A kale smoothie or whatever it was didn't sound particularly enticing, but just the thought of anyone caring enough to make her breakfast meant something real.

"Nolan?"

She spoke his name like a question, and he raised his eyebrows in inquiry.

"Daniel came to see me last night. We talked….like really talked. Conrad told Daniel the whole truth about them framing my father, expecting Daniel to take his side. But he didn't, he's disgusted by what happened. He apologized for not believing me, and said he wants to help us. He wants to help me".

Nolan paused to gather his thoughts. His immediate reaction being no.

But Nolan was not one to go with the straight answer. He prided himself on looking at things from all different angles. That's how you learnt the most. It was no secret that he was not a fan of the Grayson ever since Daniel's interview where it had been insinuated that Nolan Ross had poor intentions with Amanda Clarke. But as disgruntled as Nolan was over that, he knew that Daniel had only said that he was worried which was an honest reaction to someone you care about moving in with someone you don't know. It was the interviewer and the media who had spun his words and insinuated worse. From what Amanda had told him about Daniel, he had been a good friend to her but Daniel was a Grayson. He was born taking what he wanted. His entitlement flowed through him even unintentionally. He probably talked to Amanda about wanting to clear her father's name but did he really know what that meant for him and his luxurious lifestyle? Things would change for him, his name would be tainted, and was he really ready to accept those consequences or would he turn tail when things got tough?

Parking his multiple questions aside, Nolan simply asked the most important, "Do you trust him?"

Amanda faltered. She hated the word trust, almost as much as she hated the word love. The connotation behind "trust" ran deep and she often feared the depths of that was too much to entrust to someone. "I'm trying to" she slowly admitted.

Nolan nodded his head slowly, taking in her words. It wouldn't hurt getting to know Daniel Grayson, and he would be a huge asset to their team. Even his name alone would cause so much controversy in the media if he spoke out against his parents, and that's what they wanted; people to start questioning what they thought to be true. "I'll trust your judgement then. Daniel will be a huge help"

"So he can stay?"

"Back up….Stay?" Nolan questioned with a frown, "he's here right now? This isn't a halfway home for troubled teens".

"So you expect him to go home, in the house where our enemies live? He's going against his own parents, he can't stay there. He's on our side now, Nolan."

"He's a minor, Amanda".

"Please Nolan, you said so yourself, he can be a real help to us".

Nolan groaned inwardly, "I'm not sure what room you put him in last night, but he can stay in the room next door to me so I can keep an eye out for him." It was also the room furthest from Amanda's, he thought but didn't say. Nolan did not know what was going on between her and Daniel, and if it was anything more than genuine friendship but he knew what teenagers could be like and he was too young to become Uncle Nolan, as fun an uncle as he would be.

"Hi Jack," Amanda said tentatively, as she opened the door to see him standing right in front of her with his pensive blue eyes. "I wasn't sure if you were coming".

Jack shrugged his shoulders, "Why wouldn't I? We need to watch the tapes. We need a plan".

Amanda nodded her head slowly, grateful for his commitment, but wary of the slight edge she sensed in his demeanor. He was hurt….and she didn't blame him. Last night had been tumultuous to say the least. Emotions had been high for both of them. Jack had been frustrated by her actions, and Amanda had been frustrated by his objections. So they had fought, the most they ever had, and then recklessly kissed the most they ever had.

"I'm sorry Jack….about last night", Amanda spilled out before the apology got tangled on her tongue. "You and Nolan were right. I shouldn't have set Mason's house on fire. I let my anger get the best of me and then I blew up at you because you were right and I hated that. It wasn't fair to you."

"Amanda, it's fine….", Jack replied dismissively. He didn't want to get into it. He couldn't because if he did, what he really wanted to say might burst out. "Can I come in?"

Amanda nodded her head, and stepped aside, "yeah of course", she hadn't even noticed that she'd been blocking the entrance with her body. It wasn't a conscious move she had just felt the nagging need to speak to him alone and clear things up with him. Nothing felt clear though. As he walked through the front door and past her in the direction of the living room, Amanda bit her lip in frustration unsure of whether to let the uncomfortable feeling go or say something more.

"Jack, you're holding something back" she blurted out causing him to stop in the front foyer and turn back around to face her. "I know you...just say it, so we can get back to normal".

Jack shook his head in disbelief, his brows furrowing into a frown. He hadn't had enough sleep for this. He'd been up all night, thinking about Amanda. Thinking about her anger, thinking about her pain, thinking about how she couldn't seem to control her emotions unless it came to him. Then she could control them just fine, with him she could pretend that there was nothing more going on between them than friendship. And maybe she was right. He knew it wasn't fair to assume that Amanda felt the same way he did for her. He had to come to terms with the possibility that they might only ever be friends. But then why would she confuse him? Why would she kiss him like that last night, and stir up all his desire for her, just to pull away and act like nothing happened? He wasn't mad that they had fought last night, he was mad that they had kissed and it seemed to mean nothing to her.

"And what is normal between us Amanda?" Jack replied tensely, "You know how I feel about you, and you just…."

"We're friends Jack'' Amanda cut in sharply, her heart beating madly against her chest. That was all she could manage. Feelings complicated things, they were already complicating things right now and she couldn't take that risk. Her father was her priority, she couldn't even dream of being in love while her father's name was still being slandered. "Best friends before anything else...I thought you were okay with that. You know I can't...I can't just….I have to focus on my father".

Jack nodded his head slowly, his blue eyes penetrating hers so strongly that she fought to hold his gaze, "Then don't kiss me, and make me think you want me, just to push me away".

Colour flushed to Amanda's cheeks as she fought back the memory of Jack's lips pressed against hers, his body closing the gap between them, muddling her thoughts as he pulled her away from reality.

"I wasn't thinking...I was angry….I'm sorry Jack"

Amanda didn't want to call it a mistake because it hadn't felt like that at the time, but she would not have reacted like that, had she been thinking clearly. Jack was the one longest-standing relationship she had. How could she mess that up by letting feelings get in the way? Feelings she didn't even know that she could trust. They wouldn't even be fighting right now if they were just friends.

Jack sighed deeply, shifting his eyes from hers. He could sense the sincerity in her apology, but he didn't want her to be sorry for it. Amanda was selfish in ways she couldn't even see, and he couldn't even hate her for it, all he could do was try and match her by being the understanding one, but that wasn't always easy. He cared for her so much though, so if she needed him to park her feelings for him, he would try.

Swallowing his frustrations, Jack looked back up into her brown eyes, and steadily asked, "When this is all over, can we talk for real?".

Amanda nodded her head firmly, her throat feeling tight as she tried to push out words of confirmation, "I promise" she replied softly, the thought causing her great anxiety. She owed it to him though, to sort out her feelings and tell him how she feels.

"Alright, we're good then" Jack replied, his lips pulling up into a warm smile. The smile that she had been missing when she had first opened the door to greet him.

Amanda smiled back at him, knowing that what she said next would probably wipe the smile off his face, "One more thing…...Daniel's here. He came to see me last night and apologized. He knows the truth about my father and wants to help me clear my father's name".

Jack frowned in frustration. The last time he had seen Daniel was when he had come to the bar looking for Amanda, who at the time was not speaking to him. The tension between him and Daniel had been palpable. If he was being honest, he didn't really think that Daniel was such a horrible guy, he just didn't like how close he had become with Amanda. It was jealousy, but that was hard to shake when it was so obvious that the guy was interested in her as more than friends.

"And you trust him?" Jack questioned.

"He's a friend, Jack"

Amanda could instantly sense the disapproval in Jack's voice, but she wasn't asking for his opinion, she was simply informing him.

"He's a Grayson, Amanda. He might say that he wants to help you now, but how far against his own parents do you really expect him to go? Because I know exactly how far you'll go? But him, if he changes his mind halfway through a plan, we're screwed. Why is he even doing this? Do you know his true intentions?"

"Maybe because it's the right thing to do," Amanda replied defensively.

Jack was asking questions that she had already asked herself despite trying to push them away. She did not want to doubt Daniel because then how could she trust him? And she wanted to, she needed to trust him because she cared for Daniel, and it would break her heart if his intentions were not true. Jack had a right to be concerned, but he hadn't seen how Daniel was last night. Daniel was truly horrified and distraught by his parent's actions. She saw how much it burdened him as if that burden was physical baggage he was forced to carry. "Daniel is a good person, he's determined to set his family's sins straight."

"You want more than that though, Amanda, you want to see them ruthlessly punished. Can you honestly say that your goals align?".

Amanda frowned, "They will Jack, he knows that I'm not pulling my punches. He knows how serious I am".

"Okay," Jack murmured, clearly unconvinced, "Amanda, just make sure that he doesn't expect anything out of you from this".

"Jack…" Amanda started.

"I'm just saying" Jack pressed, "If he's doing all this for you, what is he going to expect from you when this is over?".

Amanda paused, averting her eyes from Jack's, his question causing her great unease. What Daniel was doing did go above and beyond anything she had ever expected from him. He was going against his own flesh and blood...his legacy. It did make her wonder; if Daniel had not known her personally, and found out the crimes of his parents, would he still fight against them as he was now or would he bury their sins as his father had expected?

"He's not doing this for me, Jack" Amanda replied slowly, less confidently, " I already told you, he wants to set his family's sins straight…..And can you just drop this, please? It's so obvious that there's tension between you two, but I really need help from both of you.".

Jack nodded his head, once again swallowing his frustrations. He'd said what he needed to say. It was up to Amanda whether she wanted to listen, and up to Daniel to prove him wrong "Okay let's just start the tapes."

After an awkward exchange of hellos, the four of them sat huddled together on the living room couch carefully watching the tapes from the laptop screen Nolan Ross had connected them to. Each tape detailed insightful but painful details of David's account of the cover-up, some novel to the journals and others corroborating what was in there, but nothing shocking them as much as the tape they were on now. This tape changed the rest of Amanda's life.

David was seated in what looked like an interrogation room, wearing an unfitting dull coloured jumpsuit with his hands handcuffed to the table. Mason Treadwell was seated across from him. David spoke calmly, but adamantly, looking Mason straight in the eyes with the desperate hope that he would believe him.

"I'm telling you Victoria and I were in love. She was going to leave Conrad and we were going to become a family".

"Victoria's denying all of it," Mason replied candidly with neither sympathy nor glee.

David averted his gaze downwards, pain flashing through his jaded eyes, "Ok, well they must have gotten to her somehow"

"It doesn't mean anything without proof", Mason replied.

"What about the letter she wrote me?" David asked, trying to keep the urgency out of his voice. He knew desperation was not a good look.

"It was unsigned. It could have been sent by anybody"

David sighed in frustration and opened his mouth to speak before closing it again, hesitating with the words about to float off his lips, but it could be now or never for him.

"Victoria has a baby girl named Charlotte, well not quite a baby anymore, a little girl. I didn't know back then….Had I known she was mine, I never would have let her be raised in that household, not for one minute. You want proof that I'm telling the truth, ask Victoria who her father is?"

Amanda stood up instantly from the couch in shock. Charlotte Grayson...her sister. That was too much to wrap her head around. Charlotte Grayson was already the sister of the boy to the right side of her, Daniel Grayson. How could they be related? She was an only child! That was all she had ever known. She had born the brunt of her father's curse alone. That was the way it was supposed to be. The world knew of Amanda Clarke, not of Charlotte Clarke. She had wished desperately for a sibling when she was younger, but after her father was arrested she was thankful she was alone. She was thankful that no one of her blood would have to go through the same pain that she did.

"So Charlotte Grayson is your sister?" Nolan's voice penetrated her thoughts, repeating the question bouncing around in her head.

"No, it can't be" Daniel whispered, "She's….."

"David wouldn't lie" Jack interrupted

"No, but if my father was right, what I don't understand is why wouldn't he write this in his journals. Why trust Treadwell with that information and no one else?"

"Maybe he wasn't certain then" Nolan surmised.

"Which is why we need to find out," Daniel spoke up, "I might have something we can use of Charlotte's for DNA. In my car, there's a Starbuck's cup of hers with the straw she used."

"Hopefully that works. Nolan do you know anywhere we can get a DNA test done quickly?" Amanda questioned.

"Anywhere that wants a generous thanks. Money speeds things up. Daniel grab that straw and put it in a ziploc bag, and Amanda grab your toothbrush and do the same. I am going to find a lab that can have it processed and send us results by tonight. We'll find out the truth!".

Amanda took in a deep breath, trying to steady her racing thoughts. What did it mean for her if this was true? What did it mean for Charlotte? And what did it mean for her revenge plans? She cared for Charlotte, related or not, she cared for the girl, but she was hoping that she would not have to involve her in her plans of revenge, or if she did as little as possible. But if she really was half Clarke and half Grayson, Charlotte deserved to know who her true father was and what he was truly like. She deserved the whole truth.

12 hours later

It was past midnight now but Amanda was still sitting outside alone on the patio deep in thought. She had wanted alone time, and they had all respected that, but it had been a while and Daniel could not fight the urge to check on her.

With a cup of peppermint tea in one hand and a warm blanket in his other hand, Daniel stepped out onto the patio and cautiously walked towards Amanda Clarke. He knew better than to ask her if she was cold. She would automatically deny it. It was best to just assume that she was and not overreact by offering her a choice of accepting his kindness. So before easing into the lounge chair beside her, he silently threw the blanket over her, bracing himself for her stubbornly throwing the blanket back to him.

She turned her head towards him, her eyebrows raised in surprise, and she opened her mouth as if to protest, but then closed it again, adjusting the blanket to better hug her body. Daniel fought the urge to smile remembering the time she had stubbornly refused to accept his jacket back when they were first becoming friends in Connecticut. They had come a long way from there. Feeling encouraged he then handed her the cup of tea.

Amanda rolled her eyes in protest but nevertheless accepted it, the heat from the ceramic mug warming her hands as she brought it up to her lips. "I'm fine Daniel" she sighed, after taking a small sip.

"I didn't ask," Daniel denied.

"But you were going to. You're so obviously checking on me".

Daniel shrugged his shoulders, "It's just a lot to think about….the DNA was a match, we share a sister."

Amanda nodded her head slowly, "It's not that I'm not happy", Amanda felt the need to make clear to him. "I really care for Charlotte, and to know that she's a part of my family is something special. I just never expected this and I'm scared. It complicates so much. I never wanted her involved in this, she's too young, but now I can't help feeling like she has to know the truth. She deserves to know who her real father is and that she has a big sister….. even though I have no idea how to be a big sister."

"You'd be a great one Em's" Daniel replied gently, " If I have to share Charlotte with anyone, I'm glad that it's you. You're strong and smart, and you fight for the people you love. She's lucky to have you, and I know that she cares for you too."

"Will she even forgive me? I've been ignoring her, ever since I moved out of the manor. I just didn't know what to say to her without involving her."

"I forgave you, didn't I? So will Charlotte. And if it's any consolation she's mad at me too for leaving the house."

"Did you explain it to her?"

Daniel sighed, "I didn't have the heart, I just told her that I had a major disagreement with Mum and Dad and needed some space to clear my head, so I would be out of the house for awhile."

"What do we even do Daniel? I don't know what's best for her, but I hate the thought of her being in that house alone?"

"The longer this drags on, the longer she is caught in the middle. We have to end this….quickly, and then we tell her the truth. It won't be easy for her, but we'll be right by her side helping her through it. I even have an idea".

"What?"

"I go back home tomorrow and convince my parents to turn themselves in for their crimes"

Amanda shook her head in disbelief, all but scoffing, "Daniel you're way too idealistic if you think that's going to work".

"I know" Daniel painfully replied, "But I have to at least try first before I turn on my parents. I have to give them one last chance to do the right thing".

Amanda bit down hard on her bottom lip to stop herself from saying the slew of harmful responses she wanted to say in return. Jack's words crept up in her mind, make sure his goals align with yours, and she tried forcefully to shake the bitter thought.

"But they won't," she replied staunchly. "So then what?"

Daniel's eyes confidently struck hers and even in the dark she could see the resolution in them. He was serious. "I record my conversation with my parents and get a full confession out of them that we can take to the DA"

Amanda nodded her head slowly, a sly smile grazing across her lips. Daniel didn't smile back. Even talking about taking down his parent's was not easy for him. Despite everything they did Conrad and Victoria Grayson were still his parents. It's not like he could just compartmentalize all their good from all their bad, or all his fond memories from his hurtful ones. It was mixed, his experiences, his life was intertwined with theirs, and it tortured him. He wished he could see them like Amanda did, as black or white, but he couldn't. He didn't hate his parents, he just hated what they did. He was still trying to understand his own feelings in all of this, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he hid their dark secret. He would hate himself, and that would destroy him. That's why he was doing this. That's why he was turning on his own parents.

"You make it sound so easy, do you really think it will work?" Amanda carefully questioned.

"Yes" Daniel replied steadily, "They still see me as a child so they will not suspect me. I will get the confession out of them, and then I will take Charlotte out of the manor with me and bring her back here."

"And what do I even do in all this?" Amanda questioned, this was her ego talking more than anything. But she always imagined that she would be the one to take them down with the finishing blow. It's what she had dreamed of; seeing the shock and animosity on their faces when they saw what she had done to them. But the ends was better than the means, and there was no denying that Daniel had the biggest advantage.

"You just use me. Let me be the one to make sure my parents atone for the sins. I have to at least try, and we don't have another solid plan. We could do more interviews, but the media would twist our words, we could release your father's journals or Mason's tapes, but that is all speculation, or we could pray that one of my parent's accomplices will come forward out of guilt but that's just wishful thinking….we need proof and I think I can get it. So let me. I'm your trump card, Em's. This could all be over by tomorrow."

Amanda drew in a sharp but quiet breath and slowly exhaled, "Okay" she replied, feigning calmness. "We'll go over logistics and the full plan with Nolan and Jack tomorrow morning".

Daniel nodded his head in confirmation. Thankful for the cover of the night because at least now she couldn't see it. He came across as confident, but really anxiety riddled every inch of his body at the thought.

They sat silently for the next little while, both calmly in their own thoughts, at least outwardly calm. Daniel's hands itched for his journal, it had been a while since he had written. He hadn't had the heart, the things he had discovered were hard enough to think and talk about, writing them down just seemed like an arduous task. But maybe it would help, making sense of his feelings by using an array of words and arranging his thoughts behind the obscurity of figurative language.

It was Amanda who broke the silence first, her voice raised in bitter exasperation as if she had been ruminating on her thoughts so strongly the only safe direction left was out her mouth. "I can't believe your mother hid the paternity of Charlotte from my father for years! Your mother didn't love my father at all…. And he was the biggest fool for ever believing that she did."

"Emily…" Daniel cautioned. He knew her love for her father was expansive. He didn't want her to say something about David in her anger that she would regret.

"No!" Amanda retorted sharply cutting him off immediately, "I have every right to be angry with him. If he had just stayed away from that vile woman, he would still be here. She stole my father, she stole my childhood, and now she's stolen the early years my father and I could have known Charlotte. Charlotte's only 3 years younger than me. I saw the manor every day when I played out on the beach, I can't believe my sister was right there the whole time."

"It's fucked up!" Daniel agreed, "In another world, if my mum and your father had actually been in love and ran away, we could have been raised as siblings, as a family", he added with a grimace.

Amanda frowned at the thought. She had only ever known her and her father. She had vague memories of her mother, the faintest traces which often felt more like dreams than memories. But to imagine being an All- American family of five, felt as mythical as the tooth fairy, "Do you think we would be happy?". She found herself carelessly asking. A part of her couldn't help but wonder what that life would look like. But even in her thoughts she blocked out Victoria Grayson. She would have a stepmother; Daniel's and Charlotte's mother, but that woman would not be anything like Victoria Grayson…..she couldn't be or else Amanda would be miserable even with her father still alive, and siblings to play with.

Daniel shrugged his shoulders, "You would have your father, and siblings, so you would be" he replied tentatively.

"You wouldn't be?" Amanda challenged.

Daniel sighed, "It's not that...it's just, I really don't want to picture you as my sibling, Emily. It's hard enough being friends".

Amanda froze at his words, bringing the now lukewarm cup of tea slowly up to her lips to prevent herself from having to reply. She didn't know how to respond to that, or why his words made her heart ache.

"Daniel…" she finally murmured, ever so slowly in her uncertainty of what to say next. They were friends. Friends was safe. Friends was all she could manage right now.

"I'm not pushing" Daniel interrupted, much to her relief, "I know that it's a difficult time right now and I know that you have more important things to focus on but….I'm just saying, when I kissed you before everything went to hell, it really meant something to me, I hope it meant something to you."