Happy Monday everyone! Thank you for the support. I hope no one was too badly affected by the freezing temperatures and snow that hit the US and anywhere else that was affected by the same conditions last week. Italics are still Nolan's thoughts, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Revenge, nor do I profit from this story. This is merely a figment of my imagination! Also, all mistakes are mine.
Third POV:
In the morning, he wakes up to his phone's alarm. He swings his long legs over the couch and stands up. Everything in his body pops; his joints have not aged well. He shakes it off and goes to his room, just for a change of clothes, but he is interrupted by cries coming from his bed. He looks over, and sees Arrayah tossing and turning. He walks over to the bed and sits down. He lightly shakes her shoulder, trying to wake her. It doesn't work and Arrayah cries out in pain.
"Mommy, come back!" She cries out. Nolan feels bad for the little girl; all she wants is her mom, and she can't get her.
"Arrayah, wake up. It's just a dream." Nolan tries to sound soothing, but he doesn't have much experience in this field. He makes a mental note to buy some childcare books on his Nolpad. It doesn't work, it makes matters worse and Arrayah cries louder and her limbs go thrashing. He restrains her arms at her sides.
"Arrayah, it's time to wake up! It's not real, no one will hurt you!" He says more confident. It still doesn't work and after she cries a little more, she falls into a fitful asleep. He finds it strange for this to happen. He grabs his clothes and goes and showers. As he is brushing his teeth, he realizes that this is the first time in seven years that he didn't wake up crying over Emily. It feels weird, but he is happy for not waking up from the same nightmare of Emily getting tortured and murdered in front of him. He goes back to his living room and gets his laptop out. He sends an email to his CFO, saying he was working from home today and not to bother him. Then he goes and buys five different child care books on his Nolpad and begins skimming through them for the next hour and a half. He is interrupted by his stomach protesting from the lack of food. As he is heating up the pizza, he checks on Arrayah, seeing that she is peacefully sleeping. He leaves her be, figuring she has had a rough night.
Four hours later, he hears the light patter of her footsteps and a small cough coming out of his room.
"Morning, kid, how'd you sleep?" Nolan asks, his eyes not leaving his screen.
"Fine." Arrayah responds, sitting on the couch across him, but Nolan knows she's lying. She has little bags under her eyes and looks worn out.
"Do you want to talk about any dreams you may have had?" Nolan hints.
"I don't remember. It's all blank." She yawns. Nolan looks at her, not really surprised she doesn't remember what happened; he had read a section over nightmares and night terrors in the books he bought, and Arrayah not remembering a thing was perfectly rational.
"So you don't remember waking up crying?"
"No, I'm sorry if I woke you up." Arrayah looks down, ashamed that she was being a pest, as Aunt Martina called her.
"I was already up kid; I had just gone in there to get some clothes. No worries." Nolan says nonchalantly, "All I have to eat is cold pizza. Would you like me to reheat for you?"
"Please?" Nolan gets up and strides to the kitchen. Arrayah follows him with the Nolpad in hand, "What's this?"
"It's called a Nolpad; it's like an iPad, but better and faster." Nolan smiles at his remark.
"Nolan, what's your job?" She cocks her head to the side with the question.
"I own a very big company that creates software and electronics." Nolan waters down his explanation for the young girl.
"Do you have to go to your work?"
"Nope, I am working from home today."
"Won't they miss you?"
"Nah, I have very capable employees who can handle it." Nolan pulls the pizza out of the microwave and trades Arrayah the plate for his Nolpad. She eats quietly while Nolan checks his email.
"Hey kid, what school did you go to?"
"South Murray Academy, why?"
"Thanks, kid. I just need it to find your mommy." Nolan is quick to find the school, and even quicker to find Arrayah. He finds out she is six years old and has been promoted to third grade, which astonishes Nolan since he thought she was a few years younger. She has never been in trouble and has only missed school once ever since she's been in school. Her father is Dwayne Campbell and Emily Campbell is her mother. She is an all A student, with the exception with a B+ last year. He glances over at Arrayah, and remembers she does need clothes; she can't run around in his boxers and tee-shirt forever.
I don't get why they put her in school. Someone could find them; risqué move guys.
"Hey Arrayah, you wouldn't know your pant and shirt size by any chance?"
"No, I'm sorry."
"It's cool. I can just measure you, and go from there." Nolan gets up and although he is not fully religious person, he thanks the high Heavens that he actually does have a tape measure.
"OK, now let me just pull up my notes, and can you come here for a second? It won't hurt. I just need to measure you so we can buy you some clothes." Arrayah gets down slowly and Nolan measures her carefully, taking notes of all the measurements and weighs her on the bathroom scale. "Okay, I got everything, and you will help pick out your clothes. Later I will take you shopping in stores." Nolan goes over to the couch and pats the seat next to him. Arrayah sits with her legs folded together as she sits next to Nolan, and on the television appears the website he is on. She is amazed that anything he did on his Nolpad appeared on the television.
"Cool, isn't it. This software is just the proto-type. It's going to be the next generation of internet enjoyment." He starts with Ralph Lauren, and clicked on everything and asked for her opinion. She wasn't very picky, and Nolan basically made the final decisions on things. In the end, she got a couple of coats and sweaters, a few pairs of jeans. Not to mention a pair of boots, tennis shoes, some toiletries and pajamas. Arrayah seems unsure of getting all that without earning it, but Nolan reassures her that she has earned it, he is helping her find her Mommy. He secretly buys her some toys and Christmas gifts while she is in the bathroom, in case she was around at Christmas. He put a rush on all her things, so they would be here this evening.
He knows he shouldn't be getting too attached to Emily's kid, but he can't help but want to take care of her. When he finds Emily, she may want him to be a part of her life. That's only if she wants to get back together with him. He disconnects his Nolpad from the television and starts channel surfing. Arrayah comes back and he offers her the remote. She refuses at first, but when he reassured that this is her place for now. She settles on the movie Lady and the Tramp. She is engrossed in the film, so Nolan doesn't have to worry about her wandering off anywhere as he does only a little Nolcorp business. Later, he orders food from a restaurant to be delivered; he isn't risking Arrayah's safety for food. As he is waiting, he decides to join Arrayah for the movie. Lady had just been thrown in the pound when their lunch arrives and Nolan brings it to her so she can continue the movie.
"So, Arrayah, what was the last thing you learned in school?" Nolan asks; he needs to keep her caught up in school. He's in enough trouble with keeping a missing child; he doesn't need to add neglect of a minor to it.
"In Math we were doing fractions, in Language, we were doing synonyms and antonyms, in science we were doing matter, social studies we were doing something about Columbus, and we were reading Because of Winn Dixie. I was reading Changes for Josefina by myself." Arrayah recalled after taking a sip of water to calm a coughing fit, "I forgot to turn in my library book!"
"They won't mind, I'll even get you a copy so you can finish it." Nolan reassures her. They finished lunch and Nolan decided to ask something that had bothered him.
"Arrayah, why were you, um, all dirty when you found me?"
"Do I have to talk about it?" Arrayah asks, starting to fidget on the other couch.
"I would like you too, but I'm not going to force you to do something you don't want to do. Just take a deep breath, and calm down."
"You won't?" Arrayah asks after exhaling a big breath.
'No, I don't want to force you into something you don't want to." Nolan reassures her.
"Really?"
"Yes, you don't have to worry about anyone forcing you to do anything here; as long as you help me with your mom, I'm good."
"Thank you, for everything."
"You're welcome, Ray." As he is looking at her face, he can see some improvement in the big bruise on her cheek and small cuts dotted everywhere, "Would you mind if we put some Neosporin on your cuts. We don't want them infected. Arrayah shrugs and he goes and gets the Neosporin out from the first aid kit. He sets her on the counter and pulls out the small tube and squeezes a bit of Neosporin on his finger.
"This is just like last night. It's not going to hurt at all." Nolan reassures before applying the cream. He goes to the couch and sits, getting his Nolpad and checking his email.
"Nolan, how close were you and Mommy?" Arrayah tentatively sits on the cushion next to him.
"We were pretty close; we had a short relationship before she went with your dad."
"What kind of relationship?"
"A boyfriend-girlfriend relationship." Nolan inwardly smiles, remembering the conversation he and Emily had about how couples called themselves that at their age, and how cliché it sounded. When he had asked about what she referred to him as, she had simply called him her Nolan, and he called her his Emily.
"So, you were in love with her?"
"I guess so."
"Mommy talked about a boy that she loved before she met Daddy. She says she loves him lots, but he only liked her a little back."
"She did? I think I know who she is talking about." Nolan says, having mixed emotions: he is overjoyed Emily loves him, but heartbroken that she thinks he doesn't love her.
"Really? Mommy says he would help her get out into the world, again."
"Yah, your Mommy will be free to see you soon, kid."
Nolan hears a knock on the door. Nolan shoos her to his room as he swaggers to the front door. He signs for his two packages and takes them inside.
He calls for Arrayah as he opens the first box, which contained her clothes and toiletries. Nolan suggests she go change. Arrayah has no clue what to choose, so Nolan picks out a pair jeans and a blue sweater that had a layered collar. She comes out with a small smile.
"I never get to wear things like this. Thank you Nolan!" She says shyly.
"No problem kid, it's the least I could do. Also, you would look pretty silly walking around New York in men's pajamas. "Nolan laughs as she walks closer to him, "I also got you some brushes and combs so your hair can look as great as the rest of you." Nolan digs through the box for her hair supplies and hands them over to her. As she walks to the bathroom, he can tell she is containing her happiness for just the basic things. She comes out shyly after a sometime in the bathroom, her curls a frizzier mess than they were before.
"Nolan, do you know how to braid?"
"You're in luck, I am an expert braider." Nolan thinks back to all the summer days he was at Aunt Carole and his older cousin, Susan, would teach him to braid, saying he will eventually need this skill. Nolan pats the floor in front of him and Arrayah sits down and Nolan braids her hair into a French braid and ties it off with a hair elastic. Arrayah checks it out in the mirror, and thanks him with the same small smile.
"Thank you for everything Nolan!"
"It's cool Ray, so now we have to come up with a cover story." Nolan picks her up and sits her on the couch cushion next to him, "Do you have any suggestions?"
"I'm your… niece, who's visiting?" Arrayah says ,unsure, and plays with the end of her braid.
"That's good, Ray, we need to build it to make it full proof." Nolan says with a grin, "Do you practice often?"
"Daddy does different stories when go on vacations." Arrayah shrugs. Nolan hadn't expected an answer, but he did want to find out more on these vacations.
"What do you do when you go on 'vacation'?"
"I stay inside mostly, but Daddy gives me different stories to follow by when I go outside. He said it's because he doesn't want me to get hurt by the mean people." Arrayah says very simply.
"Do you know what these bad people do?"
"They will take Mommy away, and put me away."
"Okay, well, this is somewhat similar. I have to keep him away from you, so we can bring your Mommy back."
"What about Daddy? He's mean sometimes, but he loves me."
Nolan doesn't know what to say. Dwayne may just be a pawn, and her dad, but he is part of the reason Emily is not here. Emily may not me Emily anymore. She may have Stockholm when he finds her, and think he's the enemy. He doesn't want to believe it, but it's fully possible. "It depends on what your Mommy says when we find her. Excuse me while I make a call." If he wants to find Emily, he will need reinforcement. He goes to his room for privacy, but keeps the door open to see Arrayah.
"Aiden, I need your help. Don't ask questions; just come to my apartment as soon as possible." Nolan says quickly.
"Fine, Nolan, I will be there." Aiden sighs after a short silence, "Give me thirty minutes. This better be good." Then he hung up.
He looks over his shoulder to see Arrayah standing in the door.
"A friend of mine and your mom is coming over to help us get her the legal way." Nolan assures her. He can tell she is still scared of the thought, "Aiden is a good guy. I promise he won't hurt you."
"How'd he know Mommy?"
"He and Mommy trained together. Did you know your Mommy used to kick some serious tail?"
"Yah, so Aiden is like a knight?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Mommy told me stories before she met daddy. The knight and the princess fought together."
"Can you tell me one?"
Arrayah looks over her shoulder, out of habit when telling a secret, "Okay, but you've gotta keep it a secret. Mommy told me not to tell anyone, but I'll tell you. It starts with the great king. He had a young daughter who couldn't be happier; her father loved her, and gave her anything she ever dreamed of. Then the king fell in love with a queen of a kingdom next door. That king got really mad, and had him thrown in the dungeon for something he didn't do and took over the great king's kingdom. The princess grew up in bad homes, and she was eventually sentenced to a dungeon for kids. When she got out, her father's brave night, Sir Nathan came to get her, but she thought he was nothing but a low life jester and didn't trust him and ran away. Eventually he found her again, and told her what happened. She finally believed him and went to the knight trainer, and trained with him even though she was a princess. There she met another knight, Sir Arthur. They liked each other, but he broke her heart. Years later she returned to the kingdoms, to find that the jester had turned into a king himself. They secretly fought the other kingdom, and fell in love. But some people weren't happy with her, and decided to take her away. She didn't like it, but then she found her ray of sunshine. With her ray of sunshine, she had hoped her king would come and get her. As years went on, her captors saw the ray of sunshine as something bad, and started taking it away. The princess loved her ray of sunshine with all her heart, and tried to fight for it, she even tried to run away with it, but they found her, and took it away. That's as far as Mommy got with that story." Arrayah sighs, but that turns into a coughing spell.
Nolan had to comprehend the story, and it wasn't hard to decipher. Emily had told her daughter her story, and thank goodness she did. It meant she had hope of getting out; Emily was still there. "Thanks kid and I guess Aiden is like a knight."
A/U: I hope you enjoyed Arrayah's little story, I couldn't help but smile when writing it. Next chapter, Aiden will make an appearance and will stick around for a while. If I mentioned anything that already existed, let's just pretend that it didn't, and Nolan is inventing it, okay? ;) If you have any suggestions for this story or maybe a one-shot relating to this, PM me or leave it in the comments. I hope to see you all next week.