Episode 16 "Infinity"

Chapter 6

Author's Note: For the penultimate chapter in this episode, I recommend reading the opening scene with the following musical track in mind (or in background) – "Team" by Lorde. The opening to that song has a very ominous, harrowing feel to it, that I think perfectly illustrates the tempo of the scene below, where Victoria is being transferred to Ryker's prison as she awaits her life sentence. In addition, please note that this chapter is a bit longer than usual, as it serves to complete a few storylines on the show in the present stream of time – whereas the next (and final) chapter will be including a time jump, and will serve as an epilogue, as many of you have inquired about previously. So sit tight, and enjoy the last ride!

Victoria rode in silence, swaying slightly as the transportation vehicle hit bumps along the road. She was shackled in her seat, the lone prisoner being transferred from Suffolk County Police Station to Ryker's correctional facility for that day's schedule, and had only the armed guard across from her to keep her company. The driver and passenger seats were gated off, and Victoria stared out the window wistfully, patiently awaiting the fate on the other side of the island.

As they passed by a woodsy area of the highway, the driver glanced into the rear view mirror, a sinister look on his face. Only his eyes were visible, the rest of his appearance being concealed by the gate that separated the driver's pod.

Suddenly, the van dipped slightly on the road, and Victoria looked over in response, as did the guard across from her. Before either could properly react, the vehicle swerved drastically, sending Victoria falling to her side on her seat and the guard nearly fell completely backwards. "Hey!" he yelled out to the driver, as Victoria shrieked in alarm.

But again, the vehicle swerved, this time careening into the shoulder lane of the highway and flying into the ditch that outlined the woods, nearly flipping on its side as the driver struggled to balance the weight.

"What the hell is going on up there-!" the guard roared, reaching for his weapon, when the driver suddenly screeched the van to a halt, nearly hitting several trees in the process, and turned around, firing one perfectly aimed shot into the rear of the van, striking the guard in the knee.

The guard yelped out in pain, and within seconds the driver had leaped out of the van, came around to the backdoor, producing a set of keys and entered. As Victoria watched, the guard reached for his weapon again, only to have the driver knock it out of his hand, and then use his own gun to pistol whip him into silence.

Victoria watched the weapon slide in her direction, and then took her eyes away from it to concentrate on the driver, who leered towards her after having knocked the guard unconscious. She managed to get her chained hands into the air, begging off in a gesture of surrender, and watched in fear as the driver suddenly pulled his gun on her and fired.

She screamed in shock, and then opened her tightly squeezed eyelids to see that rather than shoot her, the driver had neatly shot the chain that shackled her wrists together, and she was now free. He lowered the gun nodding towards the open door that he had entered through, gesturing for her to leave and finally spoke. "He's waitin' on ya," he grumbled, gesturing his head. "'Bout a quarter of a mile back through them woods…"

Victoria shivered, realizing that this was the release she was waiting for, and a surge of excitement and relief came over her. She rose from where she stood, keeping her eyes on the driver as he hopped out of the van and returned to the driver's seat, clearly having his own agenda to complete once she was gone. She glanced around nervously, and then finally seized the opportunity, making her way past the unconscious guard, and leaping out of the van looking around for which direction to go.

The driver pointed her back towards the woods again, and Victoria could see more clearly the path he was referring to. With a liberated expression full of her regality and confidence, she whispered back to him, "Thank you for this." To which he nodded, as she shut the door. Within moments he had pulled off and Victoria turned and began to run with all her might.

SCENE

Daniel struggled to enter the back door at the beach house; his arms full of bags, one carrying a large contraption for Marshall that he knew would require a significant amount of time and energy to put together. He set as much as he could down at once, calling out for Emily at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hey, I'm back!" he yelled out, trying to get her attention as he attempted to sort out some of the contents of the bags, separating a few.

"I'm up here!" she yelled back, not immediately coming downstairs.

Daniel continued to empty the bags out, putting away a few cases of formula, several bottles and various other baby items. He looked around for another bag that he must have left in the car. "Hey, Em – listen I'm sorry about cancelling lunch today!" he called upstairs again, sincerity in his voice. "But when the doctors said Marshall could come home as early as the weekend I had to make a few stops…"

Before heading back outside to retrieve the rest, he stopped, his eyes fixing on one last bag that he had fallen out of his grip when he walked in. Seeing it had what he was looking for, he took hold of the contents and began to make his way upstairs.

"Babe, I promise I'll make it up to you—" he began as he came to the top of the stairs and then stopped short, catching sight of Emily in one of the guest rooms that they rarely ever used. He doubled back and walked into the room slowly; observing how thoroughly it had been cleaned out, with Emily perched on a short ladder, taping off the outline of the window sill. "Hey – what's all this?" he asked.

Emily turned, wiping her hands as she stepped down from the ladder, and looked down at Daniel's side where she noticed he held a fresh bouquet of roses. "Aw—Daniel? How sweet," she remarked, kissing him softly as she accepted the flowers.

"Ems is this—what I think it is?" he began, and she completed what he was thinking.

"A nursery?" she finished. "Yes." She stood back and looked around at her handiwork, having nearly transformed the entire room into a beautiful blue-themed sanctum for baby Marshall, only needing a few pieces of furniture to complete it, and the finishing touches on the windows. "And from the sound of things, it seems to be good timing… I can't believe he's coming home already."

Daniel walked around the room, looking at all the details in amazement, before turning back around to face her. "You want us to live here with you—are you sure about this?"

Emily sighed, thinking it rather obvious. "Well you've been staying here the past few days, what did you expect?" she came over to him to put her arms around his neck, still toting the roses behind him, and he held her waist in return. "I checked with my father and he loves the idea. We can always look for a place of our own but for now… its important Marshall has a place to get settled—somewhere to call home."

Daniel smiled broadly, ever impressed at Emily's range of versatility, from being a skilled tactician to a loyal girlfriend and now a potential mother to his newborn child, she stepped up to the task at hand without hesitation. He kissed her on her forehead, thanking her sincerely, and allowed her to continue explaining what she had in mind.

"The furniture gets delivered tomorrow," she confirmed efficiently, and nodded in the direction of the downstairs. "And in the meantime I'm sure you have plenty to play with beforehand?"

"Right, that reminds me—" Daniel broke away softly, remembering the things he had left sprawled on the floor. He dashed down the steps to retrieve them, leaving her in the room alone. "I might need your help with some of this!...Hey babe – how did the doctor's visit go?" he called back up to her.

Seconds later he returned with his arms full, and Emily stopped him, concealing a piece of paper in hand. "Fine – there's nothing to worry about," she smiled simply. "Just a few lapses but, they don't think it's anything of concern…"

"Good," Daniel exhaled, setting down the many bags on the floor of the nursery as he expressed his relief that she was going to be alright. "Because I have so much to do I barely know where to start… I'm sorry; I don't think we could handle any more bad news right now." He rested his hands on his hips as he breathed in and out, clearly excited but exhausted by the responsibility that was approaching ever nearer.

Emily nodded, a bit reserved, and glanced down at the paper, folding it neatly in her hand and putting it behind her back. "Well then how about some good news?" she offered as Daniel looked to her with bright eyes, and continued. "The publishing office phoned – your competitor pulled his manuscript. The Amanda Clarke Story is officially yours to keep."

"Thank God!" Daniel sighed, coming over to wrap Emily in a huge embrace, lifting her up a bit into the air. She laughed at his enthusiasm, wriggling slightly out of his grasp as he set her down to peer into her face, cupping it with both hands. "Finally, everything I've ever wanted is happening. Em… nothing can stop us now. Now that the truth is out, and I have you with me," he shook his head as he looked deep into her eyes. "We can finally begin our lives together…I can't wait to spend the rest of it with you and Marshall."

"Me too," Emily replied, nearly in tears, a reserve still barely noticeable in her eyes. She put her head down to conceal it, but Daniel mistook it only as the same excitement that overwhelmed him too.

"Hey, look," he consoled her. "I promise I won't make this hard on you and your dad – I'll stay up all night with Marshall, you won't have to do a thing."

"Daniel, no," Emily shook her head, unwilling to let him do it all by himself. "Please, I want to help…I need the exp—" her voice faded as Daniel captured her lips with his, overtaken by emotion and his love for her. His passion was nearly unstoppable when he was like this and she resisted the urge to pull away so she could finish what she was saying, only folded into his arms, deepening the kiss as he pulled her close.

He separated briefly to whisper, "I love you so much," and then glanced into her eyes as he paused to ask her a question. "Hey – you sure it won't be awkward with your dad in the next room?" he asked.

Emily laughed softly in response. "It's only until we get our own place…we can keep it quiet until then."

Daniel nodded, kissing her again, pausing to speak. "Where is he anyway?"

She glanced upwards with a devilish look in her eyes. "Ah. Not….here?"

Daniel smiled again leaning forward as he closed his mouth over hers, this time without interruption.

"Then why not take advantage of the time alone…"

SCENE

Victoria stopped to catch her breath as she trudged through the woods, leaning up against a tree trunk as she peered ahead, a twinkle of light catching her eye. She exhaled again, finally regaining her strength and kept her focus on the light ahead, realizing she must have reached her destination. As she took a few paces it came into view – a trailer set back, just like it had been described in the letter. Its writer was none other than Mason Treadwell – the definition of an unexpected ally, as his contact had surprised her more than she anticipated after the conclusion of the trial. She remembered the directions he had provided – urging her that a sentence to life in prison would be the best thing she could ask for, as it would provide her the opportunity to escape en route. And now she had finally arrived, free of the sentence that appeared to contain her, and prepared to start a new life, with a new identity.

She glanced around as she tiptoed forwards, checking to make sure no one was nearby or watching her, but as far as she could see, she was alone in the secluded woods. She entered the trailer carefully, pushing open the door that rested slightly ajar.

"Mason?" she whispered softly, expecting him to be there waiting for her, but the trailer was pitch black, matching the darkened woods around them. She leered forward slowly, watching her steps as she made her way through the narrow cabin, reaching up and down the walls for a light switch. The glint of moonlight caught the rear window and finally she saw it – the outline of Mason's familiar figure, seated in the bunk at the back of the trailer.

"Mason," she exhaled in relief, speeding up her steps as she walked over to him, finally catching hold of a light switch beneath her fingers. Yet, eerily he did not respond, and Victoria's heart nearly stopped as she finally flicked on the light, revealing Mason indeed – gagged and tied up, and clearly unconscious.

Victoria shrieked and immediately turned around, staring directly down the barrel of a gun pointed right at her head.

"Hello Victoria," the familiar voice behind it called out, and with angst Victoria squinted in the light, seeing who it was, and nearly dropping to her knees at the sight. But instead of falter, she remained calm; taking a deep breath as she boldly met her foe who stood before her without fear.

"Hello, David."

SCENE

Louise smiled to herself as she arranged a large mason jar, converted to a functional vase, full of fresh flowers on the table in the dining area at Jack's house. Something about entertaining gave her a sense of purpose and excitement, and Jack's home made such a warm setting for a dinner party. She stood back; admiring the two tables they set up together, draped with a large tablecloth and dinner settings, and adjusted the flowers once more before feeling it was finished. Carl played on the floor behind her in the background and she glanced over to him for his seal of approval, whispering an inner thought in his direction.

"What do you think, Carl – is there still hope for me yet as a housewife?"

"Yes, there is," Jack answered for him, startling Louise as he suddenly emerged from the kitchen, catching her in her daydream. She gave him an embarrassed look, realizing she could be perceived as a bit preemptive with her housewife fantasy, but Jack didn't mind at all, and was actually comforted by her clear hopes for the future. "You know I think it's so sweet of you," he continued, setting down the dish he had brought out and walking over to hug her from behind. "To suggest having Daniel and Emily over tonight…"

Louise smiled in response, relishing his affection with a returned caress of his arms. "And David, too," she reminded him, pecking him on the cheek before he returned to helping her set up. "Wouldn't want your mother to be without a date, now would I?" A knock sounded at the door.

"Right," Jack acknowledged with a chuckle, as he stopped short to go back and answer it. "Hopefully Nolan doesn't mind being the only single at the table—" he pulled the door open to reveal him in the flesh.

"Uh—touche'?" Nolan responded in mock offense, overhearing the last comment. He smirked, brushing it off as he walked through the door, handing Jack a bottle of top shelf wine, likely from his selection at the beach club. "Just so you know, while I'd enjoy the company of a dinner date, I much prefer being on 'Uncle' duties tonight." With his comment he scooped up Carl, who came running over to him, and tickled him in his arms. "This little guy is the best wingman ever! Looks like we're the only bachelors, huh buddy?"

Jack laughed and closed the door, as Louise came over to greet Nolan while he held Carl. "Aww, well at least he'll have a little buddy to play with soon," she added, ruffling his hair. She turned back towards Jack. "What's Daniel's son's name again?"

"Marshall Leigh Grayson," Jack answered, fondly remembering the moment he and Daniel came to a formidable respect for one another; the moment Daniel saw his son for the first time and properly named him. "Named after Margaux," he added.

"So sweet," Louise cooed, making faces at Carl while Nolan juggled him in his arms. She suddenly sniffed into the air and turned her attention to Jack again. "Oh, hun can you get the pie out of the oven? I think it's done."

Jack nodded, shooting a glance at Nolan before he headed off to the kitchen. "Got my orders…"

"You know how baking makes me happy," Louise shrugged to Nolan, while Carl outstretched his hands towards her. Nolan shifted so she could take him, watching them interact proudly. "And so does this guy!"

"I take it this was your idea then," Nolan commented, looking around and gesturing to the set table with his now freed hands. "Very June Cleaver."

"Well, there never was a proper wake after the funeral," Louise explained, her Southern roots shining through as she rested Carl on her hip and admired her handiwork. "And with Emily having that spell recently… I don't know, I just thought it would be nice for us all to get together. At least once, to say we tried, right?"

Nolan just shook his head in admiration, fully in agreement with her attempt at pulling them all together. "So proud to say I was once married to you," he commended her, eliciting a grin from her in return.

"Speaking of wedding bells," Louise replied, a thought coming to mind. "When I called Emily to confirm they could make it, she mentioned her and Daniel have a big announcement… has she mentioned anything to you? You think they're going to make their family official?"

"…Again?" Nolan remarked, acknowledging their past attempt at matrimony. "Well if so, she hasn't spilled the beans to me… although with a new baby that sure would be a lot at once," he reasoned, leaning over to pop an appetizer in his mouth from the table spread. "But, if anyone can handle it—"

"Emily can," they both finished in unison, with a chuckle. Keys were heard jiggling in the door lock, and after a pause, Nolan volunteered to get it. He opened it wide and Stevie entered, thanking him for the assist as her arms were full with her briefcase and a few folders. Louise shifted Carl to her other hip and approached to greet her.

"Oh, good – you're a bit early!" Louise announced, to a surprised look from Stevie. She froze in place, looking from Nolan to Louise, to the set table just beyond where they were standing.

"Ah… did I forget something?" she asked.

"Family dinner?" Louise reminded her; surprised she had forgotten already from their conversation earlier. "Ok, so technically I'm not family but you're all family to me. I just thought I'd start a friendly tradition… well you don't mind do you?" Louise got nervous at Stevie's lack of response.

"Oh sure," Stevie lied, trying to brush past it, while something else clearly weighed on her mind.

"Sorry, I just – had a few things to do today...it slipped my mind." She set down her keys on the table and kept her purse tucked under her shoulder as she started for the steps. "I'll be down shortly."

Once she was gone, Nolan closed the open door, looking at Louise for confirmation that she was acting strangely, to which she agreed. "Wonder what that was all about – I told her this morning?"

"Louise – a hand in here?!" Jack yelled out from the kitchen, interrupting her and Nolan's looks of confusion.

She shook her head, not surprised that he was struggling with the cooking end of things, and passed Carl back over to Nolan. "Sorry—can you?"

"Go, go," he shooed her away, not minding in the least. He thought about just putting Carl down to play on his own but rarely had time to spend with him one on one, and rather enjoyed his cozy disposition. "So," he asked him, as Carl played absent mindedly with his colorful tie. "Are you as excited about 'Auntie 'Em's announcement as I am?"

He paused; realizing his reference to Emily sounded like an unintentional homage to the award winning Best Picture, and laughed, as Carl smiled back up at him. "Did I just say… Auntie Em?" he rolled his eyes, and walked him back over to his play area. "Well come on, little 'munchkin', if the Hamptons are Oz, I guess that makes me… The Wizard?" He thought for a moment, an even funnier parallelism coming to mind as they disappeared out of the room.

"At least we can finally say goodbye to the Wicked Queen of the West – Ding, Dong… the witch is dead..."

SCENE

Author's Note: I usually don't do this in the middle of a story, but as this is the final scene for this chapter, I felt it was important to set the tone. In the events that transpire below, there are references made to unseen or unknown details from the past – please picture these as full-on flashbacks, as seen through the eyes of the person speaking. In addition, for any of you die-hard Revenge fans who have the soundtrack, the melody for 'Mortal Vindication' is best suited for this scene as well. Ok – enjoy!

"Are you surprised to see me?" David asked Victoria, not taking his eyes off of her once since he had leveled the gun squarely at her head.

He moved forward slowly, impelling her to take a step back, but they continued to stand face-to-face. Mason was still restrained beside them, unconscious, and posed no threat as David had taken precautions to ensure he would be asleep with plenty of time to allow him to corner Victoria alone.

"Not entirely," Victoria responded calmly, and David smirked at her prideful response. "Although I gave you more credit – I assumed Amanda would show up instead."

David nodded, raising his eyebrows. "You would've liked that, wouldn't you? Having her here…the person you've hated the most… to hear your final words?"

Victoria pinched her mouth into a smile, exuding power despite being trapped. "If she were here, they wouldn't be my last words, now would they? You and I both know your daughter's never had the guts to kill a human being of her own accord," she paused to recollect. "Malcolm was an exception, but that was self-defense."

"Something I'm proud of her for," David sneered, drawing conviction from his love for his daughter. "She's never sank to that level. But people like you and I?" he gestured with his head towards her. "Well we're different."

"That we are," Victoria agreed, taking another step back, and David raised the gun in protest, forcing her to be still. Instead of continuing to move she merely glanced around her surroundings. "So tell me, David – how did you come to this decision?"

"With difficulty," David divulged, his breath raspy as he spoke. "But it was something I knew from the moment you were sentenced to life in prison – it had to be done." He paused, explaining the reason. "You were never going to accept that fate."

Victoria laughed through her sinister smile, recognizing how well he knew her. "I was never cut out for the brutality of prison life, you of all people know that's true," she began to reveal, seeing this would be the last time another living soul could listen to her story. "But of course I assumed my only other option was death… that is, until the one person who had been wronged by Amanda and sought his own vindication…reached out to me."

"Mason," David finished, glancing over at his motionless form.

Victoria nodded as she did the same, thinking back to the moment in the prison cell when she received Mason's letter, explaining in detail the plan he had in mind to get Victoria out.

David continued to listen as Victoria recalled further. "Mason had his own reasons for wanting Amanda to get her rightful comeuppance, as she wasted no time breaking the deal she had with him for his exclusive story. But he saw her revelation of her true identity as a path to freedom for me, rather than a sentence to death…" Again, Victoria's vivid memory portrayed her own image of Mason, watching the trial closely and seeing the shock and surprise on Margaux's face as Emily unraveled Victoria's defense.

"He encouraged me to play right into Margaux's questioning," she continued. "Going into hysterics on the stand… convincing the jury of my guilt… Knowing that the more adamant Margaux became in revealing the truth, the more likely she would be to try to pin me for the murder herself… rather than letting the prosecution have the final word."

David thought back to the moment she was referring to, furrowing his brow as he realized that Victoria knew what was coming to her from Margaux from day one and played right along. Her act was seamless – she had thoroughly convinced them all, that she never saw her attack coming.

"The conviction would be inevitable, but with the weight of argument resting on the defenses weakness rather than a strong prosecution – it would lean in favor of a prison sentence," she continued, recalling the moment it was announced, and then adding to it a memory of Mason's final letter. "…Availing Mason with the opportunity to hijack the van during the transfer, while keeping Amanda distracted and ultimately occupied with his own blackmail – a conquest to redeem his name."

Suddenly, Victoria grew serious, as she recalled the events that occurred just prior. "But what I didn't expect was for Margaux to show her face before it all happened…" she thought back to Margaux's hurt and condemning replies to her the day she visited, and the pain that weighed upon her as she was forced to listen.

David finally interjected, having heard enough of her excuses. "Seems like there were a lot of things you didn't expect. Like facing judgment for your actions, for one," he chided her.

"I couldn't face her betrayal!" Victoria countered, her emotions over Margaux's death quickly filling her eyes with tears and shaking her voice. "As much as I knew the plan depended on it, it sickened me to hear her say those words," she looked down. "And I lost it… I never meant to hurt her—"

"But you did," David interrupted. "Just like you never meant to hurt me… or Amanda," he continued, firmly turning her own argument on her. "You've been lying to yourself for years, trying to hide behind Conrad, behind Daniel," he paused. "Even behind the life we created together – Charlotte. But the truth is, the only person you truly care about – is yourself."

Victoria finally sank back onto the seat behind her, and while David stepped closer to watch her carefully, he did not object, feeling compelled to tell his own story. "Do you know how easy it was for me to find out your pathetic plan?" he asked her rhetorically, to which she only looked away. "It was simple – that ploy you set up to release Mason's book? That led me right to him. Finding the communication between you and him from prison was even easier… all I had to do was show up at the same place and the same time."

David paused as he recanted memories of his own execution of his plan, thinking back to how he hired his former cellmate who once served as law enforcement to pay off the driver in the transfer van…how he tracked down Mason into the very corner of the woods where they stood… and lastly how he distracted Stevie into thinking he needed her help to tap Victoria's communication, knowing she would incidentally mention the day of her transfer, buying him the opportunity to set it all in motion. It had all worked out perfectly, without a single hitch...until now.

"Oh, David," Victoria tilted her head at him in mock pity. "I used to love you so…How did you ever come this far? How did you ever become this person?"

David shrugged, knowing full well he had lost his way a long time ago, but that he owed it to his daughter to offer penance for the biggest mistake he ever made, falling for Victoria.

"With difficulty," he replied, echoing his first answer to her upon arriving. "Do you want to know how I came to plan this moment?" he asked, answering himself immediately. "With pleasure."

With that he raised the gun high, aimed directly at her head, but in natural fashion, she silenced him with just a few words to kill his momentum. "You were right about me, David," she replied, giving him pause. "I've always hated Amanda… but despite how much I loathed her, I admit – she's shown herself to have more redeeming qualities than even you."

David lowered the gun, if only to corroborate her statement. "You know, you're right. Amanda tried to stop me from doing this," he turned the gun to gesture to the rest of the trailer. "From coming here, from going after you… she wanted me to let it all go. In the end," he nodded with realization and his own deep feeling of pride. "She learned forgiveness."

Victoria smiled. "Perhaps she and I can come to a common understanding after all," she resolved, seeing her end nearing. "Which is why I'm proud to say… there is one truth that I've kept… one lie that I told to her, that in due time she will see was my last gift – a peace offering between enemies. My own act of forgiveness."

"Oh really?" David asked. "And what's that?"

Victoria eyed the barrel of the gun, still pointed in her direction but slightly off aim, and she knew it was her only opportunity. "I guess you'll never know now, will you?" She laughed to herself. "Funny, isn't it? You should've listened to your daughter… from day one."

David looked down slightly in confusion, and the pause was all Victoria needed. Seizing his brief lapse in concentration, Victoria quickly dug into her pocket to reveal the gun that the guard lost control of in the van, that had slid in her direction. She had deftly pocketed it before the driver could see, just in case. And how handy it had come to be – as she seized hold of it into her grasp, David's glance returned to her and for a frozen moment in time they locked eyes, staring deeply into each other's souls and the fate they were about to face as they both squeezed and pulled the trigger.

In that moment, gunshots from each of their weapons fired, echoing into the stillness of the woods and deep into the black night, signaling the end of the war and the last steps of a journey.

It had ended just as it had begun – with Revenge.

END OF CHAPTER

Author's Note: And so concludes the penultimate installment my friends! There is one remaining chapter I will post, that will be an epilogue, taking place some time after the events above. As the series is also coming to its end I thought it fitting to hold off on posting, and save it as a treat for Monday, while we're all recovering from Revenge withdrawal =/ In the meantime, please please – tell me what you thought! Did you like the ending? Did you expect it? You may have noticed that some storylines still have yet to be resolved, however I promise these will be finally addressed (along with many of your pressing questions) in the final chapter, Chapter 7. Please stay tuned and know how much I've enjoyed writing this fanfic and I sincerely appreciate all your feedback, it has been such a joy to read! I thank you for your support and look forward to posting a hopefully satisfying end, one last time! ~Love and Reven8e~ MothToANewFlame