Episode 16 "Infinity"

Chapter 5

"Amanda?"

Emily fluttered her eyes open, a mist surrounding her vision as she tried to place her surroundings. Where was she? This place was familiar… yes; it was the porch of her father's beach house. But something felt aged and nostalgic, and with a shudder she turned to see her father approaching her, quickly realizing it was a much younger version of him. One that she remembered so many years ago, when she was just a child…

"Dad?" she whispered.

"Finally feel like talking?" he responded, approaching her slowly, cautiously, as if uncertain of what to expect.

"Dad, where have you been? I've been worried about you – something's happened—" she began, but her father seemed to be preoccupied, barely hearing her pleas as he walked over to the post at the top of the porch steps.

"Come here for a second," he requested, and Emily complied as he beckoned her to join him, and walked over beside him. She peered over the post where she expected the destroyed infinity symbol to be, she was shocked to see nothing there. No carving at all. Her mouth opened in surprise and she suddenly fell silent as she watched her father remove a small knife from his pocket, and begin to carve. Then it struck her, she was in her own memory.

"Now, you know, we all make mistakes, Amanda…I'm sorry that we fought and that you got scared. I never want that for you," he looked over at her for confirmation and Emily just nodded, shaken by how closely his words from the past could apply to the disagreement they had only days prior.

"Dad, what are you doing?" she continued to ask, referring to his disappearance, but instead the memory of him continued on, the same way her mind recalled it. David used the small knife to chip away at the wood on the post, carving out the symbol that had come to define her entire life.

"Right now, it all looks really bad, right? But you and I – we can fix any problem. When this is done, it's gonna be a reminder that no mistake is ever gonna break us apart," he paused to look at her, and this time Emily felt his eyes truly connect with her own, as if he saw the woman before him rather than the little girl she used to be. "As long as you never forget I love you."

"I love you too, Dad," Emily replied immediately, tears welling up in her eyes as she reached out to hold him. But rather than receive her warmly the way her mind's eye remembered, a surprised and concerned look came over his face, and he paused, holding her arms in both hands to look closely at her.

"Amanda?" he asked, and immediately Emily was reminded of the moment within the past year when he realized who she really was, as he held her in his hands and she shook with emotion. "Amanda, it's you?" His look intensified as she continued to nod, trying to assure him of who she was, but he continued to ask.

"Amanda?"

Suddenly the dream dissipated, and Emily lurched back to reality, her eyes fluttering open as she came out of her deep sleep, seeing her father's face, for real this time. She glanced around quickly, taking in her surroundings, realizing she was stretched out in the upstairs room of her father's beach house. David was sitting on the bed next to her.

"Amanda, it's alright you were sleeping for a while," David continued to comfort her, taking hold of her hand, and with his consolation Emily sat up straight, catching sight of Daniel also in the room with them, standing at the foot of the bed with a look of relief that she had awoken. A smile crept over her lips to match the one that he wore and he breathed a quick sigh, folding his arms.

"You gave us quite a scare there at the parking garage," Daniel reminded her, allowing her memory to restore the events that occurred hours before. "But no matter how much I insisted on taking you to the hospital, you kept saying you wanted go home. Do you remember any of that?"

Emily looked down, trying to recollect as she answered him, and ended up shaking her head slightly, as her hand went reflexively to her lower back while she sat forward. For a moment it looked as if she was feeling around for something, but neither David nor Daniel seemed to notice as they exchanged a quick glance. "No, the last thing I remember is..." she stammered, wondering if it was worth even telling them the secret lurking in the back of her head. "Well I'm really not sure?"

David squinted up at her, sensing that she might not be telling the truth, but before he could pursue it, Daniel continued. "It's ok; you're still a little fuzzy. I'm just glad you're alright," he said, but her father would not let her off quite that easy.

"Amanda, don't ever do that again," David ordered her softly, his voice ripe with concern. "If there's something wrong, you need to let people get you the help you need," he paused to look up at Daniel. "Especially the ones that care about you the most."

Daniel chuckled to himself, appreciating David's support but also aware that he had limited experience with the older, more stubborn version of his daughter. "Have you ever tried telling Emily not to do something?" he asked him.

Emily rolled her eyes a bit sheepishly, but there was yet even further confirmation of her tendencies to be bullheaded as her bedroom door creaked open.

"Even when she's half-conscious, she still puts up a fight to get her way," a voice announced from the doorway – it was Nolan, coming to visit with a stuffed animal in hand. Daniel and David immediately looked back at him, not surprised that Emily's best friend showed up to round out the recovery party.

"Nolan, you didn't have to come," Emily insisted, trying her best to downplay the situation. "I'm sorry I got everyone so worried, I'm probably just overdoing it—" she shifted in the bed, bringing her legs over to the side so she could sit up.

But Nolan would have none of it. "Uh, that's not true and you and I both know it," he insisted directly while she glared back up at him, pleading with her eyes for him to let it go.

Nolan didn't budge. "Come on, Ems, it's time they know the truth. Everyone in this room cares about you," he tossed the stuff animal on the bed and came closer, prompting her to explain with a glare of his own.

Daniel corroborated Nolan's advice, folding his crossed arms tighter. "He's right, something has been going on with you lately – what is it, Em?" Rounding out the trio, David's eyes continued to stay fixed on her, and Emily knew she was finally backed into a corner.

Against her better wishes, she finally revealed the truth. "Alright. Here it is – I've been having blackouts." She looked at the confused expressions on Daniel and David's faces and knew she had to explain further. "It's something that I experienced last year," she began tentatively, putting her head down as she was forced to speak about a sensitive subject. "When Daniel and I were married. After my…injury…I struggled with repressed memories from the past. Aiden helped me to release them and I thought I had overcome it, but unfortunately…" she lifted her head back up to face them both. "…they came back."

"How long has this been going on?" David asked, while Daniel continued to listen, hanging his head a bit low in embarrassment.

"The past few weeks," Emily answered honestly, following a nod from Nolan. "They're not as bad as before - I've just been light headed and losing time. But when Nolan and I looked into it last year, we discovered it might be a result of inherited mental illness," she looked more directly at her father. "…the same thing Mom had."

Allowing him a moment to digest, Emily next turned to Daniel. "I didn't want to tell you because I know how important it is for me to be there to help you with Marshall," she pleaded, an apologetic tone matching the softness in her eyes. "Daniel, I promise, I'm going to do whatever I can to get through this. I won't let you down."

Daniel relaxed his arms, coming over to sit across from her in the chair that faced the bed. "Did you really think I wouldn't care just as much about your own health?" he asked her, shocked that she would keep it from him, but not surprised that her self-sacrificing spirit took precedent. "I want you to get better. Whatever we have to do, we'll do it."

David watched the two of them, allowing Daniel time to console his daughter before he offered his input. "Amanda – your mother was extremely sick," he countered. "Regardless of what you found out, you can't be certain that it's the same."

"Tried to tell you that…" Nolan half sung under his breath.

"But what if this is how it starts out?" Emily insisted, her fear surfacing.

"Well then," David admonished her, still unshaken by the revelation. "You're just going to have to do what she didn't want to – get help, right away."

"You're going to see a doctor, Em," Daniel agreed with him, and Emily looked over at his insistent command. "And that's final," he added, putting his foot down.

Emily glanced from her father to Daniel to Nolan and back, and as a surprise to all of them, she accepted it. "Yes, sir," she answered, and Daniel took hold of her hand, thanking her for not being difficult with a gentle squeeze.

"Looks like someone finally got her to listen," David remarked, proud of Daniel for stepping up as her man, and feeling a sudden surge of relief that he was up to the challenge. "That's what fathers like to see," he added comfortably, clapping Daniel once on the shoulder as he rose to his feet. He leaned over to kiss Emily on her forehead once, and she half embraced him in return as he continued. "At least that lets me know should something ever happen; I don't have to worry about my daughter being taken care of."

He began to walk out of the room, leaving the three of them in peace. Emily smiled in return, recognizing it as a subtle hand-off of sorts, from fatherly responsibilities to the new man in her life. She chose that moment, before he was gone, to echo the words David had spoken to her in her dream, and in her memory from years ago. "As long as you never forget I love you," she called out to him.

David smiled as he stopped in the doorway, giving her the response that had left an imprint on her heart from childhood on, "Infinity times infinity."

Nolan watched, his heart melting at the exchange as he leaned against the dresser, and began to follow him out as well, sensing that as his cue. "Well, I don't want to infringe on any other timeless moments—I feel like I'm crowding the room a bit," he started to walk out but Emily stopped him.

"Wait," she insisted, looking over at Daniel for permission. "Daniel, do you mind giving us just a second? I need to talk to him before he leaves."

Daniel gave her a curious look but decided not to push the issue when she had already been agreeable before. "Of course," he replied, giving her a peck on the mouth before he got up to exit the room.

"Thank you," she answered with a smile, and once he was gone Nolan came over a bit closer as Emily's countenance suddenly grew serious and she reached into her pants back pocket where she had felt around before to make sure it was still there. A moment letter she produced it – the letter that she found on the windshield that she had managed to keep out of Daniel's sight when she blacked out in the parking garage.

"This is the reason why I lost it today," she explained to Nolan in a low whisper, handing him the letter so he could examine. "Daniel and I were at the publishing office this morning to pitch his book, when we found out there's a competitor trying to tell the same story—only his is a version portraying me as a liar and a murderer. I'll let you take a stab at who it is?"

"Oh, no," Nolan lamented, putting the hints together as he glossed over the letter. "Crazy Capote is back?"

"And he was there in the parking garage – he nearly took me out while I was reading this," Emily took partial hold of the letter, to gesture to one specific paragraph. "This is classic Mason—doctoring up these lies in his signature wild recanting of events."

"Well, you did predict his return after you stole his thunder with your coming out party during Victoria's trial," Nolan replied, continuing to study the letter.

"Yeah, well this isn't just about spite with Mason – he's trying to blackmail me," she clarified, pointing to another spot on the page. "Read the second paragraph, it's a message for what he wants me to do – he's looking for me to take the heat for Gordon Murphy's death or he releases the book before the week is over."

"Ouch," Nolan reacted, shaking his head. He looked up at his best friend, surprised that her expression wasn't more angered. "Ems— Mason is out to take you down, you're not going to just sit there and get red-sharpie'd are you?"

"I said I was done with this, but I won't let him take away Daniel's book, it means everything to him," she assured him. "And I'm not going down for a murder I didn't commit. Which is why I need your help – is there any way you can falsify an old trail leading back to Conrad as Gordon Murphy's killer? If I can at least get him a posthumous pardon for his crimes, maybe he'll give up his warpath so he can finally come out of hiding."

Nolan leaned his head to the side, trying to think over how he could pull it off. "It may require pulling a few strings," he glanced up at Emily. "But how are you going to explain how this just suddenly fell in your lap?"

"Leave that to me," Emily convinced him. "Can you do it?"

Nolan gave her a sarcastic look, as if to say, Is the sky blue? "Consider it already done," he guaranteed, but then gave her a nervous look as she began to get up, pulling herself together. "But Ems –" he glanced around, the letter still in hand while he remained conscious of keeping his voice low. "You're keeping the D-men in the dark on this one?" He was surprised; since she had made it clear she wanted her new life to be free of secrets, especially when it came to Daniel and her father.

Emily snatched the letter out of his hand, while she walked towards her dresser, answering his question. "Daniel's already had his share of being provoked since Margaux's death and I still have no idea what my father's up to, or where he's been for that matter," she removed her shirt and changed into another one from the drawer she opened, talking quickly as she spoke. "You didn't catch him mention that while you were outing me about my blackouts, did you?" She shot a pointed look his way as she walked past him to grab a case from her closet.

"Sorry doll, I know that was a dirty move – but someone had to do it," Nolan defended his actions without a pause, knowing it was in her best interests.

Emily brought the case over to her bed, snapping it open to reveal a few disks and a flash drive, and separated the front page of the letter to toss it inside. "Well, someone has to do this," she answered, closing it shut as she finished. "As far as I'm concerned, this is the last takedown—the less people that know - the better." She finished off her statement with conviction, nodding in Nolan's direction before slipping the case back into the top rung of her closet, and he knew the conversation would go no further.

Yet what neither of them knew was that they were not the only ears present to hear it. Despite Daniel leaving respectfully at Emily's request, David had remained behind and waited a few moments before returning to the outside of the door, leaning close to hear every word that Nolan and Emily just said. With a last look of interest as they finished the conversation, he quickly slipped away, keeping the latest information in mind towards his evolving plan.

SCENE

"Thank you for meeting me, Stevie," David greeted his lunch date as she arrived with a smile, sitting down at the table he reserved at a small café' on the outskirts of the city.

"This is an interesting choice for you," she remarked as she set her small clutch on the table and thanked the waiter who laid out her napkin and poured water into both of their glasses. "I thought since it's unseasonably warm, you'd want to meet down by the docks?"

David grinned to himself, aware that he had little reason to even be at the docks now that he had sold his boat, and allowed her time to get settled before telling her. "I would but, I've had to part with my boat recently."

"Oh?" Stevie replied in surprise. "But you just got it?"

He smiled, acknowledging. "Well, my house is about to get fuller – Amanda wants Daniel and the baby to move in full time now, and even though we have the space, I'm sure they'll need all the help they can spare. It's one less thing to worry about."

"Hmm, would've made a nice retreat for when it gets to be too much," she countered, making a good point. "But, either way I'll take what I can get," she continued, referring back to her comment about meeting him at the café', a rather forlorn look coming over her. "After not hearing from you the past few days I was beginning to wonder if our summers fling was over?" She added a sarcastic smile as she sipped her water, prompting David to respond to her implication.

"It's not that at all," he clarified, taking a long gaze into her eyes. "I've much enjoyed our time together… I don't want it to end." He looked around, ever conscious of his surroundings and forced himself to continue. "Unfortunately though, I've had a few… things to take care of. And Amanda just had a spell that made me a little concerned, that's all."

"Jack told me," Stevie replied with a nod of concern. "I hope she's doing better – I remember she struggled with a similar problem last year when I first met her."

David nodded in return, having just become aware of the circumstances around his daughter's blackouts. "Which brings me to what I wanted to talk with you about—"

"Listen, David," Stevie interrupted him, gently putting up a hand in defense. "You don't need to go easy on me, I can take it. It's been really nice getting close but I think both you and I know this couldn't last forever… If you think it's time we went our separate ways, I'll understand."

"What- no?" David looked at her in surprise, having genuinely not planned on breaking ties with her.

But Stevie continued, sure she was sparing him of the hardest part of it. "I'm needed back in L.A., and you have your daughter now," she offered sincerely. "Honestly it might even be the best for the children – they're all moving on with their lives. It's time we do the same, don't you think?"

David chuckled. "I couldn't agree with you more," he concurred, but shook his head. "But, truthfully that's not why I'm here." He tried to be sensitive to the needs she had just expressed. "And just so you know, the last night I came to see you, I asked for Jack's permission – if I could move on with my life…with you."

Stevie just smiled, taking it in and bowed her head graciously as David went on. "While I certainly respect if you want to leave … I would much prefer if you stayed," he looked to her for a nod of agreement which she returned quietly and sipped at her water, appreciating his honesty.

"That's a relief," she breathed, relaxing and allowed the conversation to shift forward. David took the opportunity to be upfront with her, knowing her sharp senses would pick up on his reason for meeting soon anyway.

"The truth is," he divulged, leaning a bit closer. "I was wondering if there was something you could look into for me – it has to do with Victoria's case."

Stevie's countenance grew serious and she waved off the waiter who had returned to take their orders. "What is it that you need to know?" she inquired.

David braced himself for her reaction. "As the prosecutor, would you be privy to any information regarding who she's been in contact with in the past few weeks?"

Stevie studied him for a moment, growing concerned at the nature of his request, and glanced down at her empty plate before responding. "It's not something that would be openly communicated to me," she began. "However, that doesn't mean I couldn't get my hands on it." David nodded in return and Stevie dropped the pretense. "What is this for, David?"

"Stevie, I wish you could tell you, but… I need you to trust me," David insisted, to which she leaned back in her chair, clearly not comfortable.

"David, think about this," she encouraged him, shaking her head. "Whatever lead you're onto, it doesn't matter. Victoria is getting transferred to Rykers as we speak – this is over." She paused, giving him a sorrowful look as she wondered if it would ever truly be over for the Clarke family. "It's time you both let it go."

"I am letting it go," David retorted briskly, growing a bit exasperated. "But part of moving forward is making sure that once it's behind us, we're not looking over our shoulders for the rest of our lives." He stared back at her darkly, to which she sighed, trying her best to remain calm. "Stevie, Amanda is preparing to raise a family of her own. From what I understand it's possible that there is someone out there – someone who may be working with Victoria that still wants to hurt that family." He removed his napkin from his lap as he became more emotional than expected, his anger slowly returning to the surface. "I'm not just going to stand by and allow that. And if you won't help me then I'll have to find someone who will."

His expression softened to disappointment as he began to get up from his seat, but before he could go, Stevie stopped him with the gesture of her hand. "David, wait," she insisted, raising her voice slightly, and he looked at her and quickly sat back down. "There's no need for the dramatics," she tried to laugh it off, hoping her lightness would help him relax. She looked around, checking to make sure no one was in earshot, and then responded.

"What do you need to know?

SCENE

"Alright, Ms. Clarke, we're just going to run some blood work first before we do any tests, just to make sure that your levels are normal," the doctor instructed Emily as she sat on the patient's bed with her arm outstretched, her sleeve rolled up halfway.

She had complied with Daniel's wishes, going to the doctor to see if there was anything else that could be done about her condition, only she had requested he let her go alone. As much as she wanted him there with her, she had an errand to run first, plus she was waiting on confirmation from Nolan that the job for Mason was done and couldn't risk Daniel's prying eyes. Instead, she had convinced him to just go a few blocks away to visit his son, hoping that there would be an update on when Marshall could come home, and planned to meet him afterwards so they could go to lunch in the city together.

"When was the last time you had a physical?" the doctor asked, observing as the nurse drew blood from Emily's arm, and making some notes on his computer.

"Longer than I can remember," Emily sighed with a thought. "It's been a pretty eventful summer."

"Alright," the doctor replied, signaling her to roll down her sleeve once the nurse was done getting her samples. "We're just going to run a few labs and then we'll take you down for an x-ray. It'll be a short wait," he assured her before exiting the room.

"Take your time," Emily insisted, waiting until the door was firmly shut before picking up her phone and dialing Nolan. He answered within the first few rings. "Hey—what's the status?"

"Project 'Free-Mason' is a go," Nolan replied, pulling up data on his computer at his kitchen table. "Since you dropped off the case of evidence at the DA's office this morning, I picked up several different access scans on the trail we left for them to find, leading to Conrad," he confirmed.

"Good," Emily replied, glad that her plan went over as intended. She had stopped by the District Attorney's office before going to the doctor's, the case of evidence in hand; including Nolan's last addition that led directly back to Conrad for Gordon Murphy's murder. Emily had explained how she found the case under a baseboard while cleaning out the Manor just prior to the sale and thought to turn it in immediately.

"And your local lawgiver just sent out an email to the Head Justice…" Nolan waited for his hack on the DA's subsystem to come through. "…now. Mason should be 'treading well' again by the weekend." He leaned back from the computer screen, satisfied at his handiwork.

"Awesome work, Nolan – thank you," Emily replied, pausing as she heard the call waiting signal on her phone. She looked at the ID but it only came up as an unknown number. She put the receiver back to her ear. "Looks like he's tapped into the same party line is you – I'll call you right back."

"Ciao," Nolan quipped as she ended the call and clicked over.

"Ah, Ms. Thorne," Mason's easily recognizable voice sang through the other line as Emily answered, sneering in response. "Or should I say, Ms. Clarke? Or maybe it's even Mrs. Grayson—or is that just wishful thinking? So hard to keep up with what you're calling yourself these days, you do have so many elusive identities—"

"It's done, Mason," Emily cut him short, growing impatient. "You're officially cleared of any implication, with any luck the pardon will be announced before the weekend."

"Excellent work my dear!" he smiled wildly on the other side, sitting by himself in an empty trailer with only a large bottle of wine to keep him company. "But then again you always were a professional dealer of fates when you put your mind to it. Can't say I blame you for not taking the rap yourself – why bother smearing Daddy's name any further, hm?"

"No, that's your job," she retorted, not finished until she was certain his assault was ended. "Call off your tell-all, or you'll be reading that trash from another cell."

"Oh, I do love the genre of nonfiction, but if fiction is what you prefer then…suit yourself," he cajoled, implying he had followed her instructions. "I've already reached out to the publishing company with a slight retraction… I'm sure Daniel's book will be a bestseller—hey, maybe they'll even make a movie out of it?" he chided, laughing to himself. "Nah, who are we kidding, it's a soapy ABC drama at best—"

"Cut the crap, Mason," Emily interrupted, growing annoyed as she listened for footsteps in the hall, thinking she heard the nurses returning. "Did you hold up to your end of the agreement?"

"Consider the manuscript ashes," he confirmed, causing Emily to finally breathe a sigh of relief. "Much like the home that you burned before my very eyes – one I of course, expect you to replace." He grinned devilishly as he held the phone to his ear. "I'm adding that as a stipulation to our agreement and please – not some flimsy hut in the Maldives, I'd like something with a little more personality if you don't mind?"

Emily rolled her eyes at his increasing demands but considered them worth it to get him off her back. Plus they happened to work right in line with the tail end of her and Nolan's plan. "Fine – text me your routing number and the money will be there within the hour."

"Consider it done," Mason agreed.

"Oh, and Mason?" Emily continued before ending their conversation. "I better not see or hear from you again – I would hate to alter the terms of our agreement any further."

"Don't worry, dear," Mason assured her. "You can consider me as good as off the grid," he paused for a moment. "Now Victoria, on the other hand? Well, that's a different story…" a tasty thought struck him. "Hey, maybe Danny can write that one too? Who doesn't love a saucy sequel?"

Emily's eyes narrowed in confusion but before she could pursue it the call ended, leaving her with a dial tone and breathing rapidly, full of intrigue at what Mason meant by his allusion to Victoria. Just then, before she could try to trace the call back, the doctor walked back in with the nurse and she quickly tucked her phone away, shaking the concern off her face so she could pay attention.

"Ms. Clarke," the doctor addressed her with a serious tone, holding a folder in hand and looking over at the nurse beside him. "We were about to take you in, but I'm afraid I noticed something in your preliminary results… something I think that you'll want to be aware of."

"Yes?" Emily responded, her face turning rigid. She glanced back and forth from the doctor to the nurse, growing nervous at the silence.

"What is it?"

END OF CHAPTER

Author's Note: Back again my revengers! I feel like I'm updating super often this week but I can't help it – work is slow and I'm dreading Sunday, when it all comes to an end So I'm trying to get this nearly completed but I promise to save the best for last… So what did you think of the latest installment? A flashback, a big revelation, a perfect takedown and an intriguing cliffhanger – I tried to pull out all the stops for you! So what do you think - what could be up Mason's sleeve? And what did Emily's bloodwork come back to show? Answers will be given and storylines will reach their climax in the 2nd to last installment – Chapter 6, coming very soon! I hope you enjoyed and please let me know your predictions and thoughts. Thanks for all your support, you readers are the BEST! ~Love and Reven8e~ MothToANewFlame