Episode 16 "Infinity"

Chapter 2

"Ems, I called as soon as I got your message – what happened?" Nolan answered his phone as he walked up the porch to the former's current residence at the beach house, lit only by the moonlight and one outside lamp. The setting reminded Nolan of a similar night years ago when he crept into the house only to have Emily nearly pulverize him when she sensed his presence.

On the other line, Emily breathed a heavy sigh in the hospital corridor, as she spoke quietly in response. "There was an accident Nolan – Margaux's dead."

Nolan stopped dead in his tracks, a few paces short of the rear door. "What?!" he gasped, placing a hand to his forehead while he processed.

Emily closed her eyes, shaking her head as the reality sank in, somewhat even deeper as she had to relate it to someone else. "The doctors tried to reach Daniel but his phone was off – I got the call just as he showed up to the house and we raced to the hospital but… she barely had a few moments left…" her voice shook lightly and she glanced behind her, watching morbidly as the nurses rolled the bed out of her room, her body draped with a linen cover. She turned back around as she continued with the phone to her ear. "But they were able to save the baby."

Nolan had taken a seat on the bench, too unnerved to bear the news while standing. "Thank god for that," he exhaled; slightly relieved it wasn't a complete loss. "But oh my god, how is Danny taking it?"

"He doesn't know yet, about Margaux," Emily explained, still looking around her, hoping that he would appear any second despite it being hours since he had left. "But he sensed it was coming. He took off right before they lost her. That's why I need your help – can you see if he's at the house?"

Nolan remembered her instructions and used his spare key to go inside, despite not seeing Daniel's car in the driveway nor any sign of him on the premises. "Uh… no sign of him, Ems?" he replied after peeking around in the dark house, seeing no traces of anyone being home. "Where would he have ran off to?"

Emily rubbed her head in exasperation, fully aware that his disappearance leaned more towards him doing something drastic than merely being overwhelmed. "I think I know where, but I was hoping I was wrong," she replied, to Nolan's curiosity, before finally elaborating. "The accident happened at the police station – Margaux was visiting Victoria in the holding cell and things got out of hand…the paramedics think she pushed her."

"Whoa," Nolan exhaled in shock, bracing himself on the island counter in the kitchen. "Double murder— attempted filicide?" he declared. "Ems…that's a whole new level of evil, even for the Queen herself!" He looked around, incredulous. "This is my first time saying this but I think I'm officially in, way over my head…"

"I couldn't believe it either at first, but this is Victoria we're talking about," Emily digressed. "Ever since the verdict was announced she's sunk to another level of desperation… and I'm worried she's taking Daniel with her."

"So what do you want me to do?" Nolan asked, uncertain of what their next steps could possibly be. He gestured into the air, trying to reason out a plan. "Stakeout the station-?" He cut himself short as the door swung open at that moment, and he rose to his feet hoping it was Daniel, but instead David walked through, pausing upon seeing him waiting in his kitchen.

"Nolan—" David looked around, clearly expecting his daughter to be present at the late hour , especially since her vehicle still remained in the driveway. "Where's Amanda?"

"Head. In. Over." Nolan whispered to himself, feeling a bit unprepared to explain all to David while still waiting for Emily to respond.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the conversation, Emily too was interrupted in the hallway corridor, as a nurse approached her, signaling her attention. She put the phone down momentarily to listen.

"Miss, I'm sorry to interrupt…but there's an update on the child's status," she informed her.

"Is he okay?" Emily asked nervously.

"He's fine," the nurse assured her, putting her hands up in a calming motion. "He's under careful observation but ah… he still needs a name? And the father has to be present to sign the certificate of birth…"

Emily breathed a sigh of relief and then switched to a feeling of slight helplessness as she felt the burden of Daniel's absence. "I'm trying to track him down now," she replied, to the nurse's acknowledgement, and then put her phone back to her ear.

"Nolan, I have to go—" she responded, deciding she couldn't stay there any longer and had to take matters into her own hands.

"Yeah, copy that—your dad just walked in, I guess I'll be filling him in before I go on Danny-watch," Nolan answered.

"Do it on the way here," she ordered him quickly, pacing towards the elevator. "I need you to pick me up so I can get to Daniel before he does anything crazy, he took the car."

"At your service," Nolan quipped back, ending the call as he walked towards David and gently steered him by the arm back in the opposite direction to the door. "Sorry to rush you back out, Papa Clarke – let's chat in the bat mobile, shall we?" He tried halfheartedly to make light conversation as he escorted him down the porch steps. "So… late night for you too, huh?"

Despite feeling a twinge of apprehension at the sudden rush, David sidestepped his prying and followed suit without objection, bracing himself for the news that Nolan was about to deliver.

SCENE

"I'm sorry sir, the inmate you're trying to see has been denied all future visitation rights until further notice," the police officer responded to Daniel as he leaned on the reception desk at the station.

Daniel tried his best to appear calm, despite his somewhat tousled appearance, having been up nearly half the night first waiting for Emily only to spend the rest of it distraught at the hospital. He had walked around thinking for so long after she delivered the news of how Margaux met her demise, before finally allowing the anger welled up inside of him to impel him to action. He found himself at the police station, initially unable to restrain his emotions, but doing his best not to let them show for fear the police would pick up on his intentions.

"Listen," he countered, moderating his voice to be as soft as he could manage. "It's a family emergency – I'm her son, please you have to let me see her."

The officer looked back up at him, exhausted and annoyed, secretly wishing he had not volunteered to work the late shift that night, especially considering the heavy enforcement that had been levelled on the town's most infamous and recently convicted inmate, Victoria Grayson.

"Look," he asserted, rising to his feet and pointing at the timepiece on the wall. "Even if you could see her – visiting hours are long over with. You'll have to come back in the morning."

Daniel reacted instinctively, a thought striking him as he glanced in the direction the officer pointed. "It's nearly morning now – and besides tomorrow is the sentencing, right? She'll be shipped off to court before I can even get here, and then what?" He stared intently at the officer, doing his best to exude a pained look on his face. "She's convicted on murder charges. Me and you both know if she gets the death penalty I'll never see her again. Come on, please… I haven't visited her once since she was taken away – I want to make things right before it's too late."

The officer relented, giving him a somewhat sympathetic look as he remembered vaguely who Daniel was, and could confirm from previous shifts that the entire station knew his public disassociation with his mother, and indeed had not come to see him once since her arrest. He felt moved by pity at a son trying to make things right, especially if it was his last chance before she was gone forever, and even if she received a reprieve with a prison sentence, her visitation allowances would be nearly impossible under maximum security.

Somewhat begrudgingly, he sighed and snatched up his security clearance. "You have exactly two minutes, Grayson," he enforced, walking around the desk to lead Daniel down to the holding area.

Daniel relaxed a bit, relieved that his quick thinking worked, and followed him down the narrow corridor through a series of doors. He briefly observed a stairwell that made a mental picture come to mind of Margaux falling, and he winced as he imagined the events that took place, the image fueling the anger that brimmed at the surface. As he got closer he noted it was roped off with police tape, and they walked past to a final cell on that floor, where a hefty guard rose from his seat, blocking the way.

"No visitors for this one, sir," he demanded, squinting up a cautious eye in Daniel's direction.

The officer leading him did his best to insist. "This one's a personal favor," he turned around to glance at Daniel briefly. "It's her son - last visit before sentencing."

Daniel nodded, flashing his identification quickly so the guard could see, and by some fluke of nature, the guard stepped aside. He assumed he was scot-free until he followed him in, making Daniel cautiously aware that he would be limited in what he could say or do.

Once inside the second doorway, the guard stood closely behind him as Daniel walked over to where Victoria sat by herself on a cot behind iron bars in a small cell. She looked up when the door swung open and Daniel entered, walking up to the cell, despite the guard making it clear there would be no further entry.

"Daniel," she exhaled, immediately relieved to see him. She didn't move initially, despite feeling a surge of hope as she watched him approach her cell. Yet as soon as she saw his face, hers darkened, sensing the sternness in his expression. Her countenance quickly changed from hopeful to sympathetic. "Daniel—how is she?"

Daniel did not respond, only stared at her with contempt, waiting for her inevitable explanation, hoping with every part of his being that she spoke so it could fuel his anger even more.

"Daniel – it was an accident, I swear," Victoria pleaded, only exposing her accountability even more. "You have to believe me; I would never do anything to hurt her." Again she was met with silence, and the sting of it finally made her rise to her feet, coming over to where Daniel stood just beyond the bars. She walked up to them as far as she could, wrapping her arms between the openings.

She waited for his acknowledgement but it still did not come, and so she went on, bowing her head slightly in guilt. "We had words… she was angry about so many things…" a positive way to spin the altercation eluded her as she stammered, falling back on her failsafe excuse when cornered. "Emily filled her head with lies—she poisoned her with a distortion of the truth, and I couldn't bear it! I just wanted her to see her for who she truly is. Trust me, you will soon see the truth for yourself-"

With the last comment Daniel finally erupted in response, nearing dangerously close to the cell, so much so that Victoria flinched and leaned back slightly. "Not another word out of your mouth about her!" he belted under his breath, and the guard watched closely, making sure he didn't breach the cell bars.

Daniel only shook his head as he watched his mother shrink back, seeing her cowardice more than any other trait she possessed. "I am so sick of giving you chance after chance when all you live to do is destroy everything in my life! You claimed to protect me, but all you've done is taken everything away." He shuddered as he realized the likelihood that Margaux had probably passed while he was gone and that his son's life was still tenderly in the balance. "My god, you nearly killed your own grandchild, you monster!" he roared to her face, prompting her to look downwards in shame.

"Whatever things Margaux said about you were true – and rest assured," he leveled a finger in her direction. "If they were in fact her last words, you will never see the light of day again." He turned away with his final condemnation of her, preparing to leave her be, but she just could not let up.

Her head still down, she fixed her hands tightly on the bars and responded in desperation, "Well then, that settles it…it doesn't matter what happens from here on out. She's won."

Daniel half turned to listen to where she was going with her statement, squinted out of the side of his eye as she continued. "Emily finally got what she wanted – her father's freedom. The destruction of our family… and you, all to herself... And now, even a child to steal as her own, to fill her pathetic void." She continued to look away, all but certain that Daniel had finally given up on her, feeling she had nothing further to lose.

But her underestimation of his passion for Emily quickly became apparent, as her final insult was too deeply cutting for Daniel to bear, particularly due to his own guilt in robbing her of the privilege to bear children of her own. Within seconds, the guard was on his feet taking hold of Daniel as he lunged forward with both hands through the opening of the bars where Victoria stood, to clutch hold of her throat, squeezing angrily without release on her neck as Victoria shrieked and struggled in response. "Dan-," she barely breathed. "Stop—stop!"

His attack was short-lived as the guard pulled him off of her with ease, signaling for the officer outside to come in and immediately restrain his hands behind his back, cuffing him without hesitation. Victoria fell to her knees once she was released, her hands instinctively going to her neck in response as she felt the air slowly return to her windpipe.

Daniel in turn shifted from resistance to their seizure of him to acceptance, yelling out. "It's just as well – you're not worth it!" He continued to pull slightly in their grasp to get his last words into Victoria as they took him away, shouting in her direction. "Enjoy your life in hell, mother! May you suffer greatly..."

"Come on, let's go!" the guard and officer both took turns settling him, infuriated with themselves for being lenient in the first place to let him back to see her, despite unconsciously allowing the attack to go on as recompense for what they knew the inmate to be guilty of.

Daniel's face darkened in resolve as they pulled him out of the room, leaving Victoria alone and helpless on the floor of her cell, with full confirmation that her last remaining hope in his forgiveness was completely tarnished.

SCENE

Emily sat alone at the kitchen counter in the beach house, deep in thought as she sipped at tea while daybreak streamed sunshine into the room from outside. Her concentration broke slightly as David came down the stairs, fully dressed for court appearance, matching Emily in his selection of dark, solemn tones.

"You're up early," David observed, kissing her on the forehead as he moved around her to pour himself a cup of whatever she was having.

"Yeah, there was no point in trying to sleep," Emily responded, conscious of only arriving home within the previous hours. She looked over at where he was fiddling with the kettle on the stove. "It's tea," she clarified, expecting he wanted something stronger.

David nodded and came beside her. "Has Daniel said anything?"

Emily shook her head slightly, still staring off into space as she recalled the mayhem of events that had transpired once they arrived at the police station. Daniel was being held for attempted assault on Victoria, and if not for Nolan's generous and willing assistance, they would have narrowly been able to get him released, let alone encourage the station not to press charges for his behavior. She was relieved to be able to take him home, despite feeling a measure of guilt over telling him the truth that sent him there in a fury in the first place. Once in the car they spoke little on the way home, riding in silence while Nolan left with David to drop him off. For her own sake, she had to break the news of Margaux's departure to him, but he reacted with little surprise, already expecting it had happened while he was gone. He had asked one singular question regarding his son and she informed him that he still needed a name before letting him to go to sleep, certain that he needed it more than ever to allow the healing process to begin.

"He'll be fine here – he needs rest," she replied after coming out of her trance, setting her cup down in hopes of getting the day's proceedings over with. A part of her eagerly looked forward to it after the previous night, her own lust for retribution rearing its head in the form of justice by law. She anticipated the announcement of Victoria's sentence, feeling it would be just about the only thing to cure the gnawing in her stomach to take her own vengeance. The thought of Victoria being able to hurt another soul nauseated her, and with it she experienced a new feeling, one of near exasperation, almost as if it would pain her more to watch the charade continue without a final ending, close at hand.

"We should get going then," David recommended. "In case he wakes up and tries to come with."

Emily agreed, although she knew for a fact he wanted no part of it, and likely would only want to know from her lips what the decision had been. She felt it her last task to finish out her mission by delivering the news to him, and being present with her father to hear it made it all the more full circle. She complied, getting up quickly, although suddenly feeling a bit lightheaded as she walked towards the door, noticeably so to David. "You alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she answered, steadying herself as she looked up at him. "I just… I just can't believe this moment is finally here, that's all."

David nodded, still a bit uncertain but sympathizing with her uneasiness. "The end awaits," he tacked on, to a nod from her in agreement as they headed out the door.

"Indeed it does."

SCENE

"Having reviewed all of the aggravating and mitigating circumstances surrounding the events in mention, there were a number of factors weighing heavily upon the decision of sentence. As this court has recently been made aware of the death of its leading defense counsel, it is with heavy difficulty that a decision has been rendered, on the merits of the facts presented, testimonies given, and degree of felonies…"

Emily and David stood anxiously amongst a courtroom full of reporters and eager observers, the most packed it had ever been, as Judge Waters proceeded to read off the sentence. Victoria stood to meet her fate in complete silence, represented by appointed legal counsel in Margaux's absence. A shroud of despondence cloaked her normally stern exterior, yet despite her lack of enthusiasm, a careful observer would be able to sense a slight twinkle in her eye as the sentence was being read.

"Therefore it is the judgment of this court that for the voluntary manslaughter and intentional murder of Officer Ben Hunter of Suffolk County Police Department, the defendant is sentenced to…" Judge Waters looked up from the pages from which she read and made direct contact with Victoria. "….life in prison."

The crowd gasped in response, and even some present applauded as the final sentence was read, seeing it a firm execution of justice, even running parallel to that met out to Conrad previously, and in ironic similarity to David's own sentence served.

David, for his own sake, breathed a sigh in response but still felt unsettled. Beside him, Emily echoed his emotions, but with a touch more acceptance. She glared in Victoria's direction as the judge dismissed the court and she was taken away, but savored the last sight of her being hauled off to her miserable fate as a hallmark of all that she worked to accomplish.

"After all we've been through," David addressed his daughter solemnly. "It doesn't seem fitting."

Emily nodded, understanding how he could be torn in response. There was a strong likelihood brooding that Victoria could get the death penalty, but for all her scheming, Emily had developed a partiality towards prolonged sentence and saw death more as an escape, than a punishment. "It doesn't, after losing Margaux," Emily admitted, doing her best to be objective. "But this way, she'll suffer longer… she'll have to live with the choices she made. And she'll realize just how completely she paid for what she's done."

David felt proud to a degree of his daughter's mature outlook on the situation, even though a part of him fought the same mindset, the darker side that wanted to see it ended his own way, and required patience to let the justice system do what it was supposed to, despite it rarely serving in his own favor. He looked over in the direction of where she was led off. "Still… every day that goes by, knowing she's still alive will be a torture… while we bury the soul she took," he turned back to face Emily. "And comfort the ones she's left behind."

Emily did her best to console her father, feeling déjà vu of their seemingly never-ending struggle to help the other see the right path to choose. But Margaux's last words continue to replay in her mind, strengthening her resolve to see Daniel's course corrected, motivating her to set the example in letting go. "Daniel will be comforted to know she's finally seen justice," she thought for a moment. "And when the time is right, Charlotte will return and we can tell her the truth about everything that's happened… together. And then we can move on."

Daniel half-smiled, trying to picture for a moment the family setting that Emily was eluding to. And while his heart was touched, it still held deep pits of regret that they had so much to repair, when Victoria should have never been able to get this far had his early plans for her succeeded. Emily could sense he was unwilling to let go of his anger, and started to grow impatient. "Dad, isn't this what we both wanted?"

"It's not enough, Amanda—" David answered shortly, turning slightly to step away as his conviction deepened.

Provoked, Emily snapped back. "Then what would be enough?" She shook her head in shock. "Dad, it's time to let go, you wanted this to finally be over – we both did!" she felt her blood pressure building, a bit abnormally, and found herself surprised at her own reaction, elevating with such quickness.

Sensing a disagreement, Stevie walked over from where she was conversing with her legal team and approached to see what was wrong, just as David held up a hand to try to allay Emily's fervent pleas, and at the sight of Stevie decided to walk away so as not to cause a scene.

"Amanda, what's wrong?" Stevie asked her, and Emily just shook her head angrily at his stubbornness, not wanting to unburden her displeasure with his reaction onto another person. The gnawing feeling in her stomach built up again and she felt a wave of nausea coming over her, as if the entire prospect of the situation continuing without end made her physically sick.

"Nothing," she assured her, bracing herself on the edge of her seat as she took a few breaths to calm her nerves. She thought for a second and realized besides the tea she had hardly eaten, nor slept since the previous day and was running on empty. "I just need to go home… I can't deal with this now."

"Hey," Stevie attempted to comfort her, nudging her chin with her hand. "You've won, Emily. Let it go."

"I have," Emily answered, holding her hand back in return with a tap as she pulled slightly away. "It's my father that hasn't." She left it at that, losing a bit of her anchored hope with the admission and turned swiftly, rushing out of the courtroom before she could lose anything else.

END OF CHAPTER

Author's Note: And so the saga continues for now… as you digest the events above, again I recommend accompanying your imaginations picture of David storming out of the courtroom, still unsettled, with a musical selection that I think captures his emotions quite well – "Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence. I listened to this while writing and I think it really does his current state of mind justice.

In the meantime, of course I am still mourning the loss of Margaux in my fanfic, and the show itself in real life Of course the latter is the hardest – Sunday nights will never be the same! All in all its been a pretty glum week. So I'm hoping you enjoyed this latest installment and that your feedback on how you liked it will pick me up a bit! Please review and let me know your thoughts on Daniel's reaction to Victoria, the subsequent sentencing, and the dangerous direction David is headed in… can't wait to write more! Will update soon ~Love and Reven8e~ MothToANewFlame