Author's Note: This was not the original ending for this story but a lack of inspiration and with school starting back I simply cannot write the last five chapters I had planed for this series but either way I feel as though this ending was happier than the one I had in mind. It's been a long journey (mostly because I take forever to write a 2k chapter because I suck) and its been long and hard but I couldn't have done it without my readers and for that I thank you. You have pushed me to finish this and I hope this ending is somewhat worthy. I know all may not be pleased but I rather like it.

Enjoy

-Abbie

To say Victoria and Emily's love affair was perfect was a lie, or at least not the entire truth. The two of them being stubborn women were always at each other though the fights never lasted long enough to do any real damage. Emily was utterly intoxicated by Victoria most of the time and simply looking at her could cause her to forget whatever reason she was mad as long as she was with Victoria. Emily was always afraid that Victoria was aware of this and knew that she could end any of their disagreements by sleeping with her.

Emily was fine when she was around Victoria but soon she realized that whenever she was away from Victoria, she was never really away. The brunette was always invading her thoughts and soon Emily couldn't escape from the brunette, she was scared that her love for Victoria was ruining the rest of her life. Her jealously only grew, Conrad and Victoria got named 'The Golden Couple' and the media went insane and for months all they could ever talk about was 'Convict'. Emily could never look away from the media coverages and that's when she realized Victoria looked at Conrad the same way she looked at her and after that discovery Emily began to over-analyze every aspect of their relationship, till she was left in a sobbing mess on the floor wondering how she ever let herself become this.

It got worse when Nolan stopped being with her as much, he said he couldn't bear to see her like this, he called her a zombie and she threw a vase at him. The truth was she was terrified that he was right, the same way zombies could only be satisfied by feeding she could only be satisfied by Victoria.

The worst part was how absolutely oblivious Victoria was to all this and Emily had to hope it was because Emily was her old self around Victoria. That she was normal, that she was just regular old Emily in love with Victoria. She hoped that Victoria wasn't playing her because she got some sick delight out of destroying her life. The truth was, Victoria was playing someone and Emily wasn't certain it was Conrad.

The only shining light in all of this was her father. That relationship hadn't suffered and he had done everything in his power to make her happy again, respected her boundaries when she said she wasn't comfortable with seeing a therapist, and was always there.

She had gained her father but lost Nolan. Not that she couldn't see the pain in his eyes whenever he saw her and at the end of the day she didn't blame him for leaving her. She would have left her too. She would have hated seeing Nolan destroy himself the way she destroying herself but she would have liked to think that she would have stayed with him. Even hold his hand through all it and make sure he made it out alive. She missed him terribly and every time she saw him it just made a knife cut deeper into her heart.

Jack and Amanda were still present in her life but it wasn't like before where they would all hang out together. They didn't press her on the issue but lunches were awkward since they had just broken up though Emily knew they'd be together again in a matter of months. So she saved them the trouble. She at lunch alone, anywhere deserted, the bathroom if she was desperate.

Emily kept telling herself to hold on, just hold on and everything would get better. That's what her mother used to say and that's when Emily realized she was in way too deep. She lasted the school year, aced her exams and ended things with Victoria. It was the biggest regret and the biggest relief of her life. She could remember that moment perfectly as though it was yesterday.

Every single magazine cover had on Victoria and Conrad and how happy they were to be expecting. Emily did the rational thing any teenager would do and bought every magazine from a different publisher got them together in a bag and barged into Grayson Manor, not giving a damn if Conrad was home. In fact maybe a little part of her wanted him to be there, wanted to tell him how his wife fucked her whenever he was away on business. Wanted to tell him that Victoria said that she had made Victoria feel things Conrad never had. Maybe he would even laugh and tell her what a fool she was to believe Victoria.

Victoria was none too pleased with the intrusion and hissed, "What are you doing here without calling. Conrad could have been home."

Emily opened the bag and dumped on the magazines on the table, they spewed out and one landed at Victoria's feet. Victoria simply picked it up and put it with the others.

"Are you really so quick to believe everything you read?"

Emily shook her head sadly, "No. I had a hunch about this one though and the fact that you haven't been able to look me in the eyes since I arrived."

"It's true."

And that diminished any hope that everything could just have been a fabrication by magazines to increase sales and now she knew it was over. She just wanted to be the one to walk away first.

"How much of it was lie?" Emily asked, her voice trembled giving away how scared she was to know the answer.

Victoria appeared to collapse in herself and she reached out for Emily hand but Emily pulled away, she couldn't let this happen again. She couldn't let Victoria pull her in, she couldn't go through this cycle again.

"None of it was," Victoria said softly, "I love you Emily. I really do but I can't be with you."

"That's crap Victoria. I'm not a student of yours anymore and I'm a legal adult, so why don't you just admit that you don't love me as much as you made me believe."

Victoria sat down, she wiped a tar from her cheek and looked at Emily. Emily met her gaze, her own eyes watering but she wasn't backing down now. The sight of Victoria like this broken, because of her, hurt her more than she thought possible and every fiber of her being was begging her to fight for Victoria but she knew why she came here in the first place, and now it was time to get it over with.

"I've been asking you to choose between me and Conrad for months now and I thought you had chosen me and now I don't know. I'm not going to ask you to choose again, I'm going to make it easy for you. I'm going to walk out that door and you're never going to see me again. Being with you was the best and worst experience of myself, you taught me what it was like to be Amanda again but then I lost myself loving you and it's destroyed me. I need to find myself again and I can only do that if I'm away from you. I love you Victoria, more than words can express, there's times when I needed you more than I needed the oxygen in my lungs and a piece of me will probably always love you."

Emily walked over to Victoria and placed a delicate kiss on the top of her head, breathing in her scent one last time, breathing in the scent she loved waking up to, it brought back so many memories, good and bad though mostly good. Her gaze took in Grayson Manor the last time before finally taking in Victoria.

Victoria had only gotten more beautiful in the time Emily had known her, Emily liked to believe that she was a part of her transformation from the Ice Queen to simply Victoria. That she was the reason Victoria smiled brighter and looked warmer. Emily cut her gaze away, she had to stop looking at her.

"Goodbye Vic," Emily said, she turned to walk out the door and away from Victoria.

That was eight years ago and now Emily could say that it was best that she had broken up with Victoria, it had definitely helped her mental state and it made her fight even harder for what she wanted. Her dad had left Grayson Global to start up his own company and now the two of them were leading a multi-million dollar company which often partnered with Nolan's own company.

Nolan Ross was now the biggest name in technology, and Emily was proud of her best friend. Their friendship had rekindled the night Emily came back from Grayson Manor after ending things with Victoria to find Nolan sitting on her bed. He had not stopped apologizing for icing her out and now the two of them were closer than ever.

They were still friends with Jack and Amanda but they rarely saw each other now. Jack and Amanda had gotten married and had two kids, Emily and Nolan were godparents of baby Carl and spoiled him. Each of them tried to visit at least twice a year.

Emily had dated a lot, boys and girls, but none of the relationships ever lasted too long which should have scared her but she honestly wasn't all that worried about ending up alone, she and Nolan had a pact that they would get married at 40 if nobody else came around. Emily knew that Nolan would find someone before then and Emily was even thinking of adopting later down in life.

She still thought of Victoria sometimes but the pain was mostly gone. She had been right, a part of her still loved Victoria in that way one would always love their first loves but she had moved on. She had no idea how Victoria was doing now, she mostly stayed away or turned off the television or radio when the name Grayson came up. She couldn't even remember what Victoria really looked like and some of the memories were starting to fade and she couldn't remember what was real and what was a dream. She knew that Victoria wasn't a teacher anymore but that was it.

Then a new beginning started. Emily was running around trying to get all of her errands completed before a meeting when she popped into Starbucks. She was checking her phone when she heard a familiar voice in front of her order. Victoria. Emily glanced behind her but a log line had formed and Emily had no way of getting out of this if Victoria turned around and recognized her. Emily had changed a lot in eight years, she had stopped dyeing her hair and her features had matured.

Victoria turned around and locked eyes with her, "Emily?"

Emily stepped around her to order before shuffling the both of them out of the way and into a hidden booth in the back. They sat down on opposite sides of the other and drank each other in for a moment.

"Can you stay?" Victoria asked, tapping her fingers on the table and that's when Emily noticed she wasn't wearing a ring.

Emily's phone buzzed at the same time and she checked it before replying, "My meeting just got cancelled and I don't have to be in the office for the rest of the day. I'm all yours."

Victoria went to reach for Emily's hand but stopped herself, "You look different. I hardly recognized you."

"Yet eight years have gone by and you look like you haven't aged a day."

Victoria smiled at that, "How have you been?"

"I've pretty much got my life in order, everything is just seeming to fall into place now. The company is doing well, I'm a godparent and I'm looking at publishing a book in the new year."

"Well I'm happy for you Emily, you deserve success."

Emily gave a hint of a smile, "What about you? How has Victoria Grayson been?"

Victoria winced a little at the name before replying, "I went back to my maiden name after the divorce with Conrad. I'm running that art gallery on fifth and I'm a mother."

"What's the little person's name?"

"Daniel," Victoria said smiling, "He's a wonderful little man. Very stubborn though."

This time Emily reached for Victoria's hand, "He got that from his mama."

Emily sucked in a deep breath and then there it was. Victoria smelled the exact same and damn if it didn't bring back all the memories and she had the desire to invite Victoria back into her life.

"I really should not say this but if I don't I'll regret it," Victoria began, "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since you walked out that door. I won't say that I should have fought to keep you there because I know you needed to be away from away from me but it has been eight years and think we've both changed and I know that bringing this up could be a mistake but I had to say it."

"I think that I've grown and you've grown. We are both adults now, both single and I think that we deserve to try again. We deserve a second chance."

Victoria raised her coffee cup, "To second chances."

Emily met her cup with her own, "To second chances"

The End