Thanks everyone for the enthusiastic responses! I'm so glad that you're all enjoying the story! I really do appreciate you reading and giving your thoughts. It's inspiring!

DISCLAIMER: There are words in this chapter that have been used (particularly in the past) to express extreme racist views and therefore may be offensive to some readers. Please be advised that these words are only being used to depict the viciousness of the characters using them in this story.

Chapter Thirty-three

Jeremy slowly emerged from the lavatory, stepping out into the night, still feeling uncertain about leaving the Logans, but at the same time determined to get Danielle. The boy hadn't planned on stopping at the watering hole; he planned to leave the Hall, and head straight for the Chambers, but when he got outside, he needed a moment to get himself together, to settle his mind on what he was doing, so he'd taken a moment in the lavatory, knowing that was the only place where he could stand around and not look suspicious. Now taking in his surroundings, for the first time, Jeremy noticed that the evening had no moon. The weather was perfect for what he was planning he mused. It wasn't too cold, just a slight chill in the air, hence no risk of Danielle getting sick. And with there being no moon, the boy instantly knew that it would be easy for him to slip on and off the Chambers property without anyone seeing him. Jeremy drew a deep breath; then nervously made his way towards the horse lot, now quietly scolding himself for taking so much time in the lavatory. It'll be fine his positive mind assured him, the Dinner wouldn't be over for hours, and by then he would be long gone, out of town with Danielle…

"Jeremy?" The boy heard a voice call out, shattering his musings and instantly setting off panic within him. It was Clay he realized, recognizing the boy's voice before he even turned in his direction. "What are you doing over here?" Clay asked impatiently as he walked upon him.

"I could ask you the same thing." Jeremy retorted, trying to throw the young man off. "What are you doing out here?"

"Looking for you." Clay replied indignantly. "Pa told me to go home, to take you and my sisters back to the ranch." The boy explained. "So I went and got Alice and Lexy, took them to the carriage and then came looking for you. Why weren't you headed for the lavatories?" Clay asked suspiciously, remembering that Lexy had told him that's where the boy was going.

Jeremy was tempted to confess all, to tell Clay that he was about to leave Lexington, because what would Clay care he thought. The boy would be happy to see him leave town, but Jeremy ultimately held his tongue in that respect, answering the boy with a tale that would be less alarming. "I've already gone." Jeremy replied "I just needed some air." He continued, almost unconvincingly. "So I was taking a few moments to enjoy the evening, clear my head before coming back to the Dinner."

"Well you can clear your head on the ride home." Clay countered incredulously, still not believing what Jeremy had said. "Pa told us to leave so we're going." He finished; then rudely turned and walked away, leaving Jeremy standing there, but stopped and looked back when he didn't hear Jeremy's footsteps behind him. "Are you coming or not?" Clay asserted irritably.

For a moment Jeremy again contemplated moving forward with his plan, telling Clay that he wasn't coming with him, that he was never going back to the Logan ranch. But the boy thought better of it, knowing that if he were to do such a thing, Clay, despite wanting to see him go, would instantly return to Versailles Hall, find his father and tell him what was going on. It then wouldn't take long for the Logans to figure out what he was doing, that he was still planning to take his daughter. Jeremy sighed in frustration; then slowly began to walk towards Clay, knowing that for now, he had no choice but to put off his plan, and return to the Logan ranch.

"Father?" Vivian stated shakily, her eyes on Asa, whose face was etched with shock and rage as he refused to answer his agitated daughter. "Sean?" She continued, now turning her gaze to her ex- fiancé, who was rooted where he stood, his eyes lowered to the floor, unable to look at her, fearing that she would see the truth that was forever in his heart. "Pete?" Vivian uttered with hurt and frustration as she looked towards the young man whom she'd been acquainting with for months, but Pete said not a word, knowing that at this point it was either his head, if he chose to reveal the inevitable to Vivian, or safety, if he allowed her to embark upon this horrible humiliation on her own. No surprise he chose the latter. There was no way he was going to contribute anymore than he already had to Vivian's heartache. "Would somebody please answer me!" she exasperated fiercely, as she scanned the men around her; her eyes begging for the truth. "Tell me that what I just heard was a lie…" She pleaded. "that I just misunder…"

"Vivian…"

"Logan don't you dare!"

"You didn't misunderstand." Sean continued solemnly, ignoring Asa, hating to answer, but no longer willing to let Vivian go on this way, begging them for the truth, while they all stood there like cowards and allowed her hysterics to grow.

"What do you mean I didn't misunderstand?" The woman questioned with disbelief and horror, now looking at Sean. "Was my father right? Did you shame me for a Negro!"

"Vivian…"

"Yes or no Sean!" Vivian exclaimed, interrupting Sean before he could complete his answer, causing him to briefly divert his gaze and senselessly wonder if there was any way out of this…

"Oh my God its true isn't it." Vivian declared unevenly, reading the look of sorrow on Sean's face. "You left me for a Negro didn't you!"

"Vivian we ended because we weren't working…" Sean countered, declaring a half truth in hopes of ending this terrible situation.

"We weren't working because you where involved with a Negro." She argued.

"That's not tr…"

"Don't Sean." The woman said, fiercely rebuffing his attempt to explain. "You just said that I didn't misunderstand. Thus my father was right."

"Vivian no…."

"You loved her didn't you!" Vivian cried in disgust, now understanding after months of confusion why they'd never worked out. "You loved that …Negro and that's why you could never love me!"

"Vivian that's enough!" Asa asserted contemptibly, as he moved towards his daughter, trying to stay the situation that had quickly evolved into an embarrassing mess.

"Answer me!" Vivian demanded, paying no heed to her father, her gaze a mixture of anguish and fury, fixed upon Sean. "For once in your life tell me the truth!"

"All right!" Sean avowed

"Logan if you …"

"I loved someone else." Sean continued, suspending Asa's warning, his eyes closing in dread as he listened to the gasps and whisperings around him. "I love…Marita." He finished, his heart flooding with warmth, but at the same time fear, and sorrow, at saying what could only hurt Vivian and cause him problems in the near future.

"Marita!." Vivian sighed with devastation.

"You bastard!" Asa voiced disdainfully, stunned that Sean would humiliate his daughter in such a way again.

"Don't you put this on me." Sean stated heatedly as he turned his gaze to Asa. "You started this when you got Pete to 'finally give me what I was due' during his speech."

"Me? You Negro loving bas …"

"Pete!" Vivian questioned with shock, halting Asa and Sean's bickering, now looking towards the man whom she'd considered a friend. "You knew about this!."

"Vivian I…" Pete immediately tried to explain.

"Save it." The woman stated dishearteningly, cutting the man off. "It's written all over your face." She continued, the hurt and betrayal she felt apparent in her voice. "You used me. You used me to help my father exact some kind of…revenge on Sean didn't you?" Pete didn't answer. He could only close his eyes in shame and guilt. "Oh God I've been such a fool." She cried, tears glazing in her eyes. "I actually cared about you, and thought that you were my friend." She said to Pete. "And you!" She uttered scornfully, turning her eyes to Sean. "I returned to Lexington for you, hoping that we still had a chance…little did I know, you were probably happy to see me gone, leaving Lexington, so that you could have your Negro without having to deal with me …"

"Vivian that's not how it was." Sean disputed sorrowfully.

"Then how was it!" Vivian asked, her pain melding into anger at the pity he was showing her. "How could you leave me for some Negro who's nothing more than at second-rate…"

"Vivian stop this." Asa insisted sternly, grabbing his daughter's arm in an effort to force her from the corridor and out of this mortifying situation.

"No!" Vivian yelled as she angrily pulled away from her father's grasp. "I'm not going any where with you! You're worse than Sean and Pete…"

"I said that's enough!" Asa retorted

"No it's not enough!" the woman challenged. "You knew about this all along." She continued. "You knew that Sean left me for that Negro and instead of you telling me the truth, you used Pete as an excuse to send me out of town, paid him to get close to me so that you'd have a reason to send me abroad, so that I'd be out of the way when you went after Sean!"

"Vivian you got this all wrong." Asa vehemently denied, trying desperately to salvage the deteriorating situation as many looked on.

"What is it that I have wrong?" She asked severely "All you've ever cared about is business and revenge, never about me!" She declared. "I can't believe your nerve in being crossed with Sean after what you, my own father, have done to me. You used me in your stupid plot for revenge." She cried hysterically.

"Vivian please …" Asa pleaded, reaching for his daughter.

"No!" The woman recoiled. "Just leave me alone." She croaked tearfully, angrily. Then abruptlyturned from her father and ran from the scene, pushing past a small crowd of people who were watching with horror stricken faces, many whispering words to one another in disbelief at what they'd just witnessed, as Asa instantly followed his daughter shamelessly calling for her to stop.

"Are you all right?' Ned whispered to a shocked Sean, who heard his father, but could find no words to respond.

"What in God's name is going on?" Clancy asked angrily as he came upon the scene, holding Sean's award in his hand. The man had wanted to follow Pete and Sean sooner, was planning to leave the Assemblymen's table right after the fiasco with Pete, when he observed Ned leaving his table, then Clay, and minutes later Sean's adopted brother Jeremy, until soon there was no one at the Logan table, which meant there was no one available to accept Sean's award. So Clancy had remained in the Hall, graciously accepting Sean's award when it was re-presented; then quietly excused himself from the ceremony when he had the chance, making his way to the main corridor, when he'd heard raised voices coming from that area. "Sean?" the man asserted when he saw the young man turn away from the crowd, and away from him, running his hand through his hair as he slowly walked to a deserted area of the corridor. "What…" Clancy continued impatiently, about to follow Sean, to push him for what was going on, when Ned stopped him.

"Give him a minute." Ned said as he looked worriedly towards his son.

"A minute!" Clancy question with fury. "I want to know what's going on right now!"

"Why you don't ask Pete!" Ned retorted "He should be able to fill you in on this mess he instigated." The man finished sharply. Then walked away to join his son, leaving the Assemblyman with no choice but to give Sean the minute his father had requested, a minute that Clancy used to angrily scan the crowd for some sign of Pete Dixon.

Asa futilely ran behind Vivian, his legs failing to help him, incapable of exerting the power needed for him to catch her. So he again called for her to stop, to listen to what he had to say, but she refused to hear him, continuing to run away until she came upon her carriage, and shocked him by taking over the reigns when she saw that her coachman wasn't there.

"Vivian!" Asa called out with worry, fearful of what his daughter was about to do. "Vivian what are you doing!" he yelled in a panicked tone, but received no response from his daughter. Asa attempted to increased his run, knowing that he needed to stop her, but he couldn't get there fast enough, his legs and feet laden with age, reminding him that his youth had long passed; then suddenly the carriage moved; the horses abruptly taking off with no order or form, causing Asa to fearfully shout his daughter's name again, but she was now barreling wildly down the road, her inability to handle the carriage and horses obvious. "Oh my God!" Asa gasped with terror as his mind raced, searching for a way to stop Vivian's perilous ride. But before the man could think of something, anything to save his daughter from injury, the carriage began heading towards the side of the road, speeding right for a stand that was only a few feet ahead. The horses then suddenly bucked, responding to Vivian's attempt to abruptly stop them, causing the carriage to rock wildly, then jolt onto two wheels, before landing hard on it's side, throwing Vivian to the ground with it, scattering an array of items that where displayed on the stand, along with shattered wood that was apart of the carriage's framework. Horrified by the sight before him, Asa, as well as a number of others who'd witnessed the accident, fearfully rushed towards the traumatic scene, praying that the young woman, Vivian Winters, had not perished in the crash before them.