A/N: This part contains spoilers about Daniel's affair and who he is having it with. Be warned


Jen didn't know where Riley had headed, but she knew where she
had to go. It probably wasn't a good idea, but she knew she had to talk
to somebody. She stepped up to the door, ringing the bell and the
stepping back. She waited for a moment but then turned away from
the door, just before it swung open.

"Jen?" Nora said to the girl's back. Jen stopped, turning back to
face her.

"I... this was a bad idea, Nora... I'm sorry. I'll go."

"Jennifer," Nora said. "Come in. Come..."

Jen moved slowly, entering the house and allowing Nora to close
the door behind her. "I..."

"Riley is falling apart," Nora said, speaking for Jen. Jen nodded.

"Ever since his Dad went to prison, he's just... I think he blames
me, Nora. I think he blames me for the whole thing."

"Jen, I don't think that's true," Nora sat her down on the sofa. "I
think that Riley is just looking for answers. He wants to know why it all
had to happen. What kind of a dark place his father was in that would
make him kill a man."

"Do you really think he'll ever know that whole truth?"

"I don't think any of us will." Nora admitted. "And I know that's
something all of us want. You, Riley, me. But why... or even how Daniel
could kill a man, frame you for murder, it escapes me."

Jen took a deep breath. "I'm just worried about Riley. He's so far
away from everything."

"He's hurting" Nora said. "He's hurting and he's confused. I think
more than any of us. He needs time."

"But what if this causes a relapse?" Jen worried. "He could start
drinking... using again. If I could do something to help him... and I don't
do it... Nora, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. He worked so hard to
stay clean and this might break him. I'm so afraid that it will."

"I know how much you love him, Jen. And you've kept him strong
this long. You have to just hope that he can stay that way. You be
there for him even if he doesn't want you to because... he does want
you to. It's like with raising children. They might push you away, but
they want limits. They want borders. They want to know that somebody
is there who loves them, who cares about them." Nora paused. "Riley
might seem like he's pushing you away, but he needs you not to give up
on him. Especially not now. He needs to know this is not his fault, just
as much as... even more than anyone. He's going to be blaming the world
for what happened. He's gonna blame you, he's gonna blame me, he's
gonna blame himself and everyone else. But if you give up on him Jen,
then that's when he'll be lost. He needs you to keep him from hitting
rock bottom."

"I don't know how to help him." Jen sighed.

"Give him time. He needs it," Nora paused. "We all do."

>>>>>>

Riley had his way of getting into Statesville. He knew most of the
guards from his father having been the DA. He didn't need to go
through the 'proper channels' to see Daniel. Riley now sat waiting in
front of a piece of shatterproof glass as Daniel took a seat on the
opposite side.

"I didn't expect to see you," Daniel said to him.

"Yeah, well I didn't expect to be here," Riley said coldly. "I really
don't know why I'm here at all."

"For answers..." Daniel said.

"You couldn't possibly give me the answers I'm looking for." Riley
said, hurt. I don't think I'd want to hear your explanation. You don't
have one that I think would even be close to reasonable."

"Paul Cramer was blackmailing me," Daniel said.

"Yeah, I think I got that much from you in court." Riley said.
"And there's so much more. I know that and so does everyone else. Like
why you decided to try to frame Jen for the whole thing. Why she was
such a convenient scapegoat." Daniel didn't answer him. "You know that
when I thought she had killed him... you saw how much it was tearing
me apart. Were you just trying to destroy her, or did you want me to
fall too?'

"No, Riley," Daniel said almost immediately. "I never wanted to
hurt you."

"But you deliberately tried to hurt Jen." Riley shook his head.
"God, Dad, you would have killed her too! You tried! If Rex had come by
two minutes later, she'd be dead! So tell me Dad, tell me why. Why did
you do it? To hide an affair? So you had an affair, so what! So it was
with another guy. So what! So... what. You killed somebody, almost two
people so that nobody found out that you're into guys? Was your
career that important to you that it was worth murder?" Riley paused.
"You know what..." he said "You know what, don't answer that. Don't
answer that. I already know. That job was worth more to you than
anything. And now you're here and you know what, Dad? You know what?
You deserve it. You deserve whatever you get."

"Riley..." Daniel tried to speak.

Riley stood, shook his head. "I don't want to know what you have
to say. I don't care. You ruined more than a few lives. You hurt Nora
and Matthew. you hurt Jen and Mark. And you hurt me, Dad. You'll
never know how much." Riley turned from Daniel. "I'm outa here."