Thanks everyone for reading and responding!

cola – Thanks so much for the responses. I'm really glad that you're enjoying this story. Legacy of Love is the only way I can live out, at least some, of the hopes and dreams I had for the show, and it's thrilling to know that you as well as others are reading and enjoying what I write!

Chapter Fifty six

Isaac sat next to the bed, watching his daughter finish a second glass of water; his heart flooding with memories and warmth, as recalled her as a child, as he remembered how she would always come to him for everything. From reading her a bedtime story, to soothing a scraped knee. Even when her mother was alive he was the center of his daughter's world. He wished that he still was the center of her world he thought with a sad sigh, still watching her, noting how much she looked like her mother, thinking of what he'd just witnessed between her and Sean. He wished that she was still a little girl, Isaac mused. Then he could keep her safe – protected from the world...

"Feeling better?" He then asked as Marita now set the empty glass on the stand next to the bed.

"Yes." She quietly answered, her eyes slightly lowered and shy, due to her continuous unease about what her father had seen. "I'm a little tired, but I'm okay." She added.

"Good." Isaac lightly sighed with relief.

Silence –

"Pa I'm sorry about the house." Marita uttered softly – sadly as she lifted her eyes to her father's face, now thinking of the fire, and that besides her, their house was the only thing her father had left of her mother. Remembering how he'd told her that they'd build the house after the Civil War, and that even though it was on Ned Logan's property, a white man's property, it was the first real home that they'd had, a home that they were immensely proud of.

"Honey don't apologize." Isaac said, holding his daughter's eyes. "All that matters now is that you're okay. I can rebuild the house."

"I know that you can rebuild." Marita said sorrowfully. "But it'll never be the house that it was. It'll never have the memories and mama's things like the original house had."

Isaac deeply swallowed and lowered his gaze, pushing away the emotion that rose in his heart. Even though it hurt like hell to know that all of Lenora's things were gone, it was nothing compared to the pain he would be feeling had he lost his daughter in that fire. "Honey it does hurt to lose your mother's things." Isaac began, after gaining control of his emotions and returning his eyes to Marita's face. "But it's okay, because what was most important to her, what is most important to me, the most wonderful thing we accomplished together made it out of that fire." He said. "You made it out of that fire. And I thank God for that." He uttered, emotion wavering the strength in his voice, bringing tears to Marita's eyes. "I thank God for Sean." He added, surprising Marita who had lowered her gaze in a failed attempt to stay her tears. "He...loves you." Her father continued, as Marita returned her gaze to her father's face, while he now recalled the events of earlier in the day. "Much more than I was willing to believe."

"I know." Marita responded quietly; hope springing in her heart, feeling that maybe this time around her pa would support her and Sean's plans to marry. "I love him too...and I...I plan to marry him." She then cautiously revealed.

For a moment Isaac was quiet, inhaling deeply, alarming Marita as his expression changed from earnest to gloom. "I figured as much." He then solemnly replied.

"You still don't approve do you?" Marita asked sadly, disappointment hurting her heart.

Silence –

"No." Her father stated seriously, holding her gaze.

"Pa why?" She questioned with hurt and bewilderment in her voice. "You know how much I love Sean, and how much he loves me... he risked his life to save mine..."

"Honey I know how much you love each other." Isaac interjected. "And I will be forever grateful to Sean for saving your life, but that still doesn't change the fact that you and him being together is dangerous..."

"Pa danger is inescapable." Marita countered strongly. "I nearly died in a fire today. A fire that had nothing to do with my relationship with Sean. And being a Negro I will always be at risk for some kind of attack, no matter where I am or who I'm with."

"You don't really believe that." Isaac contended abrasively. "You can't believe that, not after the problems I faced and the Logan's faced after your relationship with Sean was exposed. And I know that I don't need to remind you that just a few weeks ago, Sean lay up stairs at death's door due to the hate spun by your relationship."

Marita lowered her eyes, her heart deeply panging at the memory of Sean nearly dying and of her father's refusal to accept their relationship.

"Honey it's only going to get worse if you marry Sean." Her father continued. "You will never have peace. Not here in Lexington, not up in Michigan, nowhere. Cause there will always be people who will hate you, hate you for your relationship, and thus they will try to hurt you and Sean. And next time Sean may not be so lucky to survive. You may not be so lucky. Can you tell me that you're willing to risk Sean nearly dying again? That you are willing to risk your own life to be with him?" Her father questioned impassionedly.

Marita was quiet – not answering her father right away, for she was taking in his words, thinking of all he'd said, the truth in it. Remembering the pain she'd felt at finding Sean beaten up in the woods, the pain she'd felt at seeing him laying in that bed wasting away, and everything before that; her leaving him back in August, her realizing she loved him years before that, the many times they'd had together over the years. Their time in Cholena. Their recent break-up and the fire. All of those memories and emotions rushed her heart, along with the love she felt for her father. She needed him so much, her heart ached. He was her father, her family, and she couldn't lose him Marita thought as she lifted her eyes then spoke...

"Pa I'm afraid of all those things you just named." She uttered quietly, shakily. "I'm afraid that what happened to Sean may happen again, that someday it may happen to me. And I don't want to ever experience the pain that I felt when I saw Sean beaten and unconscious in those woods. But as painful as that time was, it was nothing compared to my soul...dying within me." She said. "Cause pa that's what it felt like for me to walk away from Sean loving him the way I do. I know that it's been said that if you truly love someone and need to protect them, then you will let them go, but pa I can't. I can't explain it, but Sean is...apart of me, apart of my soul in a way that I don't think any one but he can understand. And thus I can't let him go." She passionately expressed. "And I don't want to. I love him. And no matter the risk...I want to share my life with him." She finished earnestly, emotionally, holding her father's stare.

Isaac sat there a moment, upset by his daughter's words, briefly turning his gaze away, fighting to keep his frustration in check. He then turned his eyes back to his daughter, causing her to nearly breakdown at the tears she saw in his eyes. "Honey you're right, I don't understand it." Isaac said, with deep hurt and disappointment in his voice. "I don't understand how you can be so... selfish, to risk yourself this way. You're all I have left. All I have left of your mother."

"Pa I know. And I'm sorry that I'm hurting you." Marita uttered brokenly, earnestly. "But me staying...me giving up Sean doesn't guarantee my safety. Anything can happen. Look at the fire today. Look at how ma and Mrs. Logan died. And then all the people that we've known over the years young and old being taken by illnesses or accidents." Marita stated tearfully. "Pa nothing is guaranteed."

"That gives me no comfort." He replied emotionally. "It gives me no comfort to know that you're choosing a perilous life, that you're choosing Sean Logan over me – your father."

"Pa you know that's not true."

"I need some air." Her father said, quickly standing from his chair.

"Pa please. We need to talk this out." Marita pled.

"There's nothing to talk out." Isaac replied, his voice breaking in pain. "You've made your choice so I'll leave you to it." He said; then quickly turned away and left the room. Leaving Marita stunned and in tears, her heart breaking at what was happening between her and her pa.

-----------------

Clay quickly descended the staircase, fury in every step he made, hating himself for upsetting Lexy. Why hadn't he just kept his mouth shut he thought. He had to vent his hatred for Jeremy, had to announce again what a thief and a liar the boy was. He should've known that it would upset Lexy more. He scolded within. That it would make her turn on him, blame him for Jeremy leaving and of course bring pa's wrath down upon him. It wasn't fair! Clay now thought with frustration as he continued down the stairs. Jeremy was the one who'd left, the one who'd caused his sister to be upset in the first place, had once more betrayed the family. Yet he was the one being blamed, and threatened with stable duty for a year. Damn Jeremy Bradford. Clay angrily scoffed. He was always causing problems with this family and even though he was gone Clay still felt that it wasn't over, that there was something more to Jeremy's sudden decision to flee, and he now wondered with resentment and fear if him leaving was connected to his daughter...

"You back from the stables already?" Alice queried, breaking Clay's thought, meeting him at the foot of the stairs.

"You see me don't you?" Clay responded shortly as he brushed passed his sister, barely sparing her a glance.

"I take it you found Jeremy." Alice deduced, in an equally short tone as she followed Clay's path, now thinking that her brother's curt response was due to a run-in with the boy.

"It's always about Jeremy with this family." Clay stated bitterly as he continued down the hall. "It's always about where he is. If he's okay. What he needs." He said, then stopped and turned to face his sister. "Why is that?" He then asked with ire. "When he doesn't give a dam about us?"

"What's he done now?" Alice questioned with an annoyed sigh, holding her brother's gaze, who responded to her questioned with an angry scoff; then turned and walked away. "Clay..." Alice called in a pleading tone, again following him as he now entered the parlor. "Seriously what happened?" She asked once more, this time keeping annoyance out of her voice.

Clay heaved an irritated sigh as he stopped; then turned to face his sister. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." He uttered stiffly, now weighing how Alice would react if he told her what he suspected Jeremy had done, along with the consequences he'd face from his pa for again "speaking before he thinks."

"What are you talking about?" Alice asked. Clay remained quiet, still pondering what to say, how to say it, or if he should even respond at all, before he then abandoned the battle within and spoke...

"Jeremy's gone." He said.

"What do you mean gone?"

"I mean gone as in gone for good." Clay clarified tartly.

"No, there must be some mistake." Alice immediately rejected.

"Alice it's no mistake." Clay countered with vexation. "Pa and Lexy found his note saying that he was leaving and that he didn't want anyone to come after him."

"But that doesn't make sense." Alice declared, now thinking of her conversation with Jeremy a few days before. How she'd apologized, and they'd finally settled their problems, or at least she'd thought. "Why would he do this?" She uttered, stating her confusion aloud.

"You mean you don't know?" Clay retorted, looking at his sister, with a scowl. "He's wanted to be gone from here since day one." He said, still biting his tongue, holding back what he truly thought of Jeremy running away.

"That's not true." Alice disputed sharply. "You've wanted him gone since day one."

"Oh please don't try to put this on me." Clay countered, fury in his voice. "Have you forgotten why he came here in the first place?"

"Clay I know why he came here, but he changed..."

"Oh Alice he didn't change!" Clay charged with frustration. "Why can't anyone see that but me!"

"Maybe because..."

"What's going on?" Sean disrupted as he walked into the room, drawn in by the raised voices he heard as he came from the kitchen.

"Jeremy's runaway." Clay irritably answered.

"Runaway? When?" Sean queried with bewilderment.

"I don't know." Clay replied. "Probably before daybreak. He left pa a note."

"Wha..."

"Pa is it true?" Alice asserted, interrupting Sean's response as her father came into the room, still hoping that there had been some mistake, that Jeremy was still there. "Has Jeremy runaway." She asked. For a moment Ned didn't know what to say, for he was completely stunned, caught off guard by his daughter's inquiry before he quickly re-centered his thoughts and answered her question...

"I'm sorry honey...but he's left." Ned responded in a quiet tone as he held his daughter's stare, watching her eyes fill with sorrow and disbelief.

"Is Lexy okay?" Clay then cautiously asked, drawing his pa's attention to him.

"What's wrong with Lexy?" Sean questioned with concern. "She upset about Jeremy?"

"Yes." Ned answered, his anger again rising as he recalled Clay's careless words; how they'd upset Lexy, as well as his own irresponsibility in failing to prevent Jeremy from leaving. "She was pretty upset." He continued, as Clay dropped his eyes in remorse. "She still is, but she'll be fine."

"Good." Sean sighed with relief.

"She just wanted to be alone for a while." Ned added; the concern he felt, etched in his voice.

Silence –

"I still don't understand why Jeremy would leave." Alice again stated aloud, pain in her voice as she walked to the couch and sat down.

"I don't understand either." Sean concurred. "I mean I thought...that everything was going fine, that Jeremy was okay here."

"It hasn't been fine." Ned admitted with a sigh as he now walked further into the room. "Jeremy was planning to leave after the attack. But we talked and I thought that I'd convinced him to stay." He said in a faraway tone, as he came to stand at the window, gazing out at the scenery, now thinking of all the recent talks he'd had with the young man. Now fearing the worst. "But I guess my talking did no good." He uttered quietly.

"So why don't we go after him" Alice posed in a near pleading tone. Her own guilt over the boy leaving now starting to rise, now thinking that the way she'd treated him over the past few weeks may have caused him to leave. That her apology was too late. "Why don't we find him and try talking to him again." She proposed, prompting her father to turn from the window.

"Honey..."

"Pa he can't be far." Alice interjected, interrupting her father's response, which she knew would reject her idea. "His daughter is still here." She pointed out.

"So you think." Clay asserted tautly, finally voicing a smidgen of his suspicions, and unknowingly his pa's suspicions about the situation.

"What does that mean?" Alice questioned curtly, now turning her eyes to Clay, refusing to give his insinuation any weight.

"Oh come on do I have to spell it out for you?" Clay said, ignoring his father calling his name, warning him, unable to stop his thoughts from escaping his lips. "Jeremy ran and probably took his daughter with him!" He exclaimed.

"Clay!"

"That is such nonsense!" Alice countered with anger and disgust, talking over her pa's attempt to scold her brother. "Why would Jeremy confess his plan to kidnap his daughter then do it?"

"He didn't confess!" Clay argued. "Pa had to pry the truth out of him!"

"Ugh you are unbelievable! No matter what Jeremy does you always attach something horrible to it!"

"What! You are such a hypocrite. Just a few weeks ago you were the first one in line to accuse him of being a horrible person and now you're deeming him a saint!"

"I'm trying to do what pa asked and give him another chance!"

"Another chance, you..."

"Okay enough!" Ned interjected angrily, raising his voice to a roar. "I don't think..." He continued; then paused, calming his temper and his voice. "I hope... that Jeremy didn't kidnap his daughter..."

"Pa." Alice gasped with shock as she returned her gaze to her father, stunned that he would think that Jeremy would do such a thing, that he would think that the boy would actually go through with it. "You really think ...that Jeremy could've resumed his plan to take his daughter?"

"Honey I don't know." Ned answered with earnest, holding Alice's eyes. "But Jeremy did come to me a few weeks ago to talk about Danielle." He revealed. "However, I didn't really... allow him to speak what was on his mind. I just took over the conversation and assumed that I knew what he wanted to say. I think I might've even put words in his mouth, provoked an agreeable, but false response from him." He said. "In retrospect, I think that he might've come to me for help..."

"Help with what?" Sean questioned.

"I don't know." Ned somberly replied. "He said that he wanted Danielle to remain with the Chambers because it was for the best, yet he continued to visit her...maybe he wanted more...maybe he wanted custody..."

"Excuse me." Mabeline interrupted, prompting everyone to turn their gazes towards the entry of the parlor. "I'm sorry." The woman quickly apologized, now realizing that she'd interrupted a serious discussion.

"It's okay Mabeline. What is it?" Ned asked.

"I just wanted to ask Sean if chicken would be okay instead of turkey. Or would you like me to fix something else?" The woman posed as she turned her eyes to Sean, leaving everyone else in the room a bit curious and surprised.

"Chicken is fine Mabeline. Thank you." Sean said, and the woman then nodded and quickly retreated from the room.

"What was that all about?" Clay immediately queried once the woman left the room, knowing that his brother never directed Mabeline on what to cook for a meal. "You giving Mabeline menus now?"

"No." Sean answered. "It's for Marita." He said; his heart springing with joy and love at the mere utterance of her name. "She's still weak...from the fire (and due to the stress she's been under he thought). So I asked Mabeline to cook her something to eat." He explained, which caused a strange look to form on Clay's face.

"So she's fine then? She doesn't need anything else?" Ned asked, wanting to help in anyway that he could.

"No, she's perfect." Sean uttered softly, his voice etched with a happiness that hadn't been there days, even hours before. "In fact..." He continued; then paused, nervousness instantly rushing him before he could pronounce the words, unsure if he should announce this now, in the mist of this situation surrounding Jeremy. "I was going to wait." He started again, slowly – nervously. "To say anything...but I guess this is as good a time as any... Marita and I are getting married." He announced.

"What?" The whole family heard before they could respond, which caused them to turn their eyes to the door, where they were shocked to find Lexy, looking tearful and sad, but yet had a faint look of hope on her face. The mood of the room instantly changed from the lingering somberness of before to an awkward excitement, when Lexy then ran into the parlor and up to her brother, immediately giving him a hug causing him to laugh. "Are you really going to marry Marita?" She questioned in joyful disbelief, as she pulled back from the hug to look her brother in the eyes, the sadness in her heart over Jeremy leaving, slightly waning due to what she'd just heard.

"Yes." Sean happily confirmed, which prompted his sister to hug him again, elated at the news, but also comforted by her brother's assuring embracing, making her feel that everything was going to be okay.

"Congratulations son." Ned said, now coming up to Sean and extending his hand, not surprised at all by the announcement, knowing that his son could never give Marita up. Even though that morning he'd vowed to try Ned thought, now thinking of his conversation with Sean hours before; how they'd briefly talked about Marita as well as Vivian's lies. "I know that you love her." He continued as Lexy turned to face her father and Sean's arm remained around her shoulder. "And that you want this more than anything." He said.

"Pa thank you. And I do." Sean declared with a smile, returning his father's handshake, while Alice stood across the room quietly looking on, still trying to process all that had been said about Jeremy and now Sean's announcement. Though a part of her was thrilled for her brother and Marita, another part of her worried greatly about the risk they were about to take and wondered about the situation with Vivian. While Clay who stood just a few feet away also stood watching, observing Sean, Lexy and his pa, his mind racing with a million reasons why this wasn't good news. Why, though he now understood Sean's feelings for Marita, they shouldn't be marrying...

"What about Vivian?" Clay abruptly asked, asserting one of his million reasons aloud, drawing everyone's eyes to him. "Weren't you just planning a wedding with her the other day?" He uttered accusingly.

"No." Sean denied, now giving his brother a heated stare, offended by his accusing tone. "That wasn't what it appeared to be." He said, which irritated and confused Clay more.

"So what was it?" Clay then curtly queried. "You playing Vivian for a fool?"

"Cla..."

"No." Sean replied with frightening calm, interrupting his father's rebuke, holding Clay's reproachful gaze. "That was Vivian playing this family for fools."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm not going to get into Vivian's treachery right now." Sean countered, his voice smoldering with ire. "But just know this, she wasn't the "fragile" heroine that she was claiming to be." He said, shocking everyone in the room, except his pa, whom he'd briefly filled in on Vivian's indiscretions before he'd gone riding that morning.

"So what, she was lying about being sick?" Clay persisted sharply.

"I said that I'm not going to get into it right now." Sean replied, his tone severe and stern. "And I don't appreciate you questioning my integrity and continuing to push for answers on a subject I've chosen to drop!"

"I'm not questioning your integrity..."

"Well then what else would you call it?" Sean retorted. "When you ask me if I'm playing Vivian for a fool."

"I just want to understand what's going on." Clay argued stiffly. "I mean how can you marry Marita..."

"What the hell does that mean?" Sean interjected with fury.

"It means that if you keep seeing her and God forbid marry her, it's going to destroy us all!"

"Oh Clay stop the dramatics!" Alice angrily asserted, before Sean and Ned could respond. "Anything that you don't agree with will destroy this family! It's lies - nonsense!"

"Do you call Sean and pa being attacked, guards around the property, and pa losing business nonsense!"

"That's not Sean's fault!" Lexy countered shakily, fearful and upset over her siblings fierce arguing.

"Oh it isn't!" Clay fumed.

"You are out of li..." ("What the hell, are you blami...") ("How could you...")

"Excuse me!" A raised voice interjected, interrupting the volatile scene in the Logan parlor, interrupting everyone's livid response to Clay's words, bringing all eyes to the door. "I'm sorr..." The servant attempted to apologize, but was cut off by an angry Ned, asking her what she wanted.

"There's a deputy here." The woman then cautiously spoke, nervousness in her voice.

"What does he want?" Ned snapped.

"I need Deputy Director Logan to come with me." Deputy Brunson said as he suddenly entered the room, not waiting to be escorted in.

"For what?" Sean immediately questioned, before his pa could ask, anger and perplexity in his voice.

"Asa Winters has been shot." The Deputy revealed, drawing stunned gasps from everyone in the room. "And he named you as the shooter."