Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Revenge, I Just Love It

Chapter 2: Can't Kill Me With Kisses

"You're awake" Victoria said in fake sincerity, as she breezed into the room, standing at the edge of Emily's bed.

"I don't understand, the doctor's discharged me?" Emily asked slowly, narrowing her eyes at the women she hated, the one who had tried and succeeded in creating such chaos in her and Daniels relationship.

"Yes right into my care and your nurses, we thought you'd be more comfortable at home" Victoria replied, faking a smile at Emily. "You're a Grayson now, and we circle the wagons when tragedy strikes."

It was like she was mocking her, she hated it, she absolutely abhorred that women, but she did what she had been doing since day one, played her at her own game. So instead of demanding to be let out, she simply produced a small smile directed Victoria's way.

"Doctor Sternan told me your memories are recovering" Victoria continued, no doubt saying the only thing she cared to know about from Emily.

"Yes," Emily replied softly, "Thanks to Charlotte, she visited me a lot in the hospital trying to help me recover my memories". Pausing, she stared right into Victoria's watchful eyes before slowly saying, "and promising me that the only reason my husband hadn't come in and comforted me, was because he felt guilty and upset that he hadn't been able to protect me that night."

Victoria squirmed and Emily wanted to secretly smile, she'd only said that to see that quick look of panic on Victoria's face, and oh was it satisfying.

"Charlotte was right, Daniel loved you and he's not taking it well." Victoria responded.

"Loved?" Emily murmured faintly, "I'm not dead yet."

"No of course not, Darling" Victoria quickly responded, irritated at herself for her slip up. Gingerly placing her hand on Emily's arm, she murmured, "You know what I meant".

Emily smiled gently, it was going to be amusing seeing Victoria fake such sincerity towards her, she could only imagine how maddening it must feel for her.

"The last thing I remember was the church, the wedding vows, at least I have that happy moment." She said softly, the tiniest smile spreading across her chapped lips as if to fool Victoria in her affection for Daniel.

The reality is she felt like screaming, on a day that was meant to be her dream come true, on a day that represented their undying love, their bond, he had tainted everything, ripped her everything away from her. Biting her lip, she tried to withhold the flash of remembrance infecting her mind but it was too late, she remembered it all and her mind wouldn't simply let it go.

She remembered as she had stood there alone in the dressing room, her beautiful white wedding gown, draped across her slim body. She had stared at herself in the mirror for ages, preparing herself, trying to calm her nerves and imagining what life as his wife would be like.

Truthfully things hadn't been easy that past month between those two, they had argued and fought, slept alone some nights, but they had tried to work through it or at least that's what she had thought, until she discovered Sarah. She hadn't confronted him about her though, maybe she should have but she had been scared, so scared that if she did, then ultimately more fighting would push him right into Sarah's arms.

So she had held it in... but holding something like that in, ignoring her hurt and angry feelings, feeling anxiety every time he came home late, and emptiness when he pulled away from her, led to panic. And in her panic she had done something terrible, she had faked her pregnancy as a way to reel him in. She had been desperate and convinced herself that it was the only way for Daniel to wake up and realize that she was the love of her life; she was his future, not Sarah.

On her wedding day as she had looked into that mirror, she had felt so guilty, that she had lied to him about something so important as a newborn life. She had vowed that after their honeymoon, she would tell him the truth and plead her case. Explain how his affair with Sarah had really hurt her, how she had felt like she was losing him and how she had just wanted her fair chance of a happy life with him.

Would he have shot her then too? She thought resentingly, maybe only once, she jeered with satire humour.

She could joke all she wanted but that day when she had seen him standing at the altar, looking as handsome as ever in his wedding suit and gazing at her tenderly as she walked down the aisle, such hope had filled her heart; they had a bond, they shared a love, and yes they had fought, yes he had strayed but he was her home and she was his or that's what she had naively thought at the time.

"Where we love is home - home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts." That was one of Daniel's favourite poems by Oliver Wendell Holmes, he had read it to her when they had first fell in love and ever since, it had been such an endearing poem to the both of them. Now it just brought up feelings of pain.

Shaking her head slightly as if that would clear her pained mind, she bitterly thought, so much for what Daniel had vowed to her on the altar, I love you Emily, for now and always.

"And as for the traumatic details of your shooting?" Victoria questioned, interrupting Emily from her thoughts of the wedding to a vastly more painful memory...the shooting.

I remember everything Emily wanted to tell her bitingly; from the rising fear and shock I felt as your son pointed a gun to my chest, to the pain and betrayal I felt as the bullets tore through my flesh, soaked my dress with blood, drained my cheeks of colour, and propelled my body over the railing. I remember how I fell, how many feet down from the yacht, falling and falling, my body cold and numb, my mind diseased and my heart torn out as the cold strong waves caught me and refused to put me out of my misery, drifting me instead to help, help that I didn't want.

I remember, she wanted to scream, to threaten relentlessly but she swallowed it all down, suppressing her screams. It wouldn't do, she had vowed to ruin him, to destroy him and screaming at his cruel mother though probably immensely satisfying wouldn't help her. If she wanted sweet revenge, she'd have to be calculatingly, sneaky and most importantly mentally strong.

Anyway right now she was a prisoner in the Grayson's house, alone and injured so she'd have to tread carefully until Nolan could contact her, Nolan, Amanda and Jack, the only real friends she had. After all, she knew a lot about the Grayson's and how they resorted to terrible things to protect those they loved and she definitely could not trust them to uphold the universal morals of the world, especially being that one of the Grayson's had already broken one of those rules when he had nearly killed her.

Breaking her gaze from Victoria, she looked around the room abstractly and tiredly said, "I'm trying to remember but..." she paused, her eyes focusing on the figure who'd just walked through the door, "Daniel", she murmured her heart stopping for a second as she looked towards the man she'd fallen for, the man who'd shot her, the man who she now held an infinite amount of conflicted feelings for.

Victoria's eyes widened in horror thinking that Emily had remembered but then she let out a relieved breath as she turned her head to see her son in the doorway.

"Daniel what happened to your eye" Emily asked upon seeing a purplish, blackish bruise around his left eye, that seemed to mildly satisfy her upon first glance.

"Nothing worth mentioning, not compared to your injuries" Daniel replied, as he walked towards her, a mixture of guilt, nervousness, anger and tiredness in his expression.

He had been to see Sarah at the Stowaway, his not so secret lover. There Emily's friend Jack had lashed out at him, rightfully so after what he'd done to Emily, not that he knew. Either way though, Daniel was a bastard in Jacks eyes. While his newlywed wife was recuperating in bed after nearly losing her life, he was trying to get back in with his mistress, that's how it looked at least...correction, that's how it was.

God he was disgusting, that enough was disgusting but factor in the part where he was the one who actually shot his newlywed wife , made him damn right vile.

He really had deserved that punch, a thousand times over too. He had even liked it, wishing he'd been pummeled relentlessly; it's what he deserved and anyway, he wanted to feel something other than the guilt taking the characteristic of a parasite and eating away at him.

"I'll leave you two alone" Victoria said, standing up and exiting the room, with a walk only the wealthy could perfect.

Emily looked towards Daniel, a small smile on her face, "It's nice to see you" she said softly. Looking at your guilty face makes me feel excited to hurt you more, she thought cruelly to herself.

Daniel smiled back painfully, "You should probably get some rest" he said as he walked up to her bed and reluctantly bent down kissing her on her forehead with impassionate lips, no doubt trying to fake affection and innocence. But he wasn't like his mother or her in that respect and he failed at faking it; she could read right through him, she always had.

She reached out for his arm, as he began to walk away, "Stay" she murmured, if it pained him to be near her, she wanted him to be with her for a lifetime, he deserved that pain and so much more for what he had done to her.

He stopped and looked at her but showed no signs of moving closer to her so she continued, her voice sounding quiet and sad, "I've just felt so lonely these past few days, hoping that the next time I woke up from my sleep you would be by my bedside, if only for a little while at least."

"I'm so sorry" he uttered guiltily, feeling that parasite eat away at him even more. This was the first time he had really looked at her; seen the pain in her big brown eyes, and the hurt in her voice... seen her stare at him as if he didn't nearly kill her. "It's just been so hard to see you hurt", what a shitty excuse he thought to himself with disdain, "But Charlotte's been with you."

Emily nodded her head as if understandingly. Daniel was always such a coward; he could never face what he'd done or what consequences he had to bear. At least he was hurting too though; she hoped that guilt engulfed his mind.

"More than you" she whispered her eyes beginning to water for effect. She had mastered fake tears by the age of ten, after the realization that they occasionally came in handy at the orphanage.

"I know we've been through a lot Daniel and I remember how it wasn't all easy before the wedding but ...you're my husband Daniel and I- I need you, now more than ever."

He moved closer to her, her heartfelt sentence working like a charm as he grabbed onto her cold hand as a supportive gesture. Not that his hands were much warmer, he had turned cold blooded in more ways than one after everything that had happened.

"I'm right here" he murmured trying to sound comforting as he sat down on the edge of the bed and wrapped his free arm around her shoulders. It's what he had to do, he tried convincing himself, to fool her, it's what his mother would want. But deep down he knew it's what he wanted, he didn't want to see her like this; crying, injured, alone, especially when he caused this.

Despite all Emily's past transgressions, the fake pregnancy being the most significant and worst of them all, it had in no way justified him shooting her. He had loved Emily, really loved her and when she looked so innocent, so helpless in that hospital gown, in bed, with a machine hooked up to her, how could he hate her? How could he be so cold?

So even if the guilt killed Daniel, he would try and comfort her...he owed it to her to at least try and be the husband she thought he was, instead of the real one who shot her... not once... but twice.

"I'm yours for the afternoon" he murmured as he gently, brushed her hair out of her eyes and wiped away her tears, "Tell me what you want Emily"

Emily squeezed his hand and smiled tenderly, this was the Daniel, she thought she was marrying, the caring one... but she was wrong about that, so now instead of enjoying this side of him, she would exploit it.

Looking into his conflicted brown eyes, she softly uttered two small words, "Kiss me".

Daniel looked back at her nervously, his eyes widening in surprise as he tried to conceal the guilt on his face.

If only he hated her, he thought he hated her, he wanted to hate her so that he would no longer have to feel such guilt, but the truth was that he didn't and seeing her like this, seemingly so genuine and so gentle he fell into her trap, only intensifying his shame.

He didn't want to kiss her, it would be too painful. Upon touch he'd remember the tenderness and warmth of her lips, the sweetness of her tongue, the eagerness of her mouth...the closeness of her body.

He cursed himself, how could he have strayed from that? From her? Emily had faked her pregnancy and that was wrong...so wrong but she had just wanted to hold onto him, when he was straying farther and farther away to Sarah. How could he have been unfaithful to her? How could he still desire the taste of Emily's lips and equally desire Sarah's? He disgusted himself.

Shut up he wanted to yell at that bitter cruel parasite in his head, the one calling him disgusting the one whispering, this is on you, this is all on you!

"Daniel" she murmured, subtly prompting him.

Looking down at her agonizingly, he cradled her face gently; subconsciously taking in the natural beauty of the women he had fallen for before lowering his troubled lips down to her own and kissing her softly on the mouth, whilst desperately trying to block the sweet memories that floated aimlessly throughout his head of a much better time than this.

Emily kissed him back slowly, willing herself not to remember how she liked these kisses, how she loved them. She was a ghost now and her job was to haunt not to feel, that's what she had to remind herself, to remember.

Pulling away her lips tugged up in a small, shy smile and she looked at him with her chocolaty brown eyes and murmured, "How did my lips taste?"

"Sweet..." he whispered, not able to look her directly in her eyes, "sweet and innocent"

Hiding her smirk from his satisfying answer she gazed at him intently, looking to have thoughtfully replied, "Yours tasted gentle, gentle and reserved...".

Daniel looked back at her tenderly and gently squeezed her hand.

"And almost a little sad... guilty" she added, her voice lingering ever so slightly as she said the last word, her gaze on Daniel who had not so subtly shifted his eyes to anywhere but her face and let go of her hand, not feeling able to keep holding on now that a stronger wave of distaste had washed over himself.

He looked terrible; remorse was written all over his face, like it rightfully should, she thought fittingly.

Clearing his throat, he slowly said, his voice quiet, making it almost easier to tell such shameful lies than if he sounded loud and confident, "Not guilt, not sadness...just reserved. I didn't want to kiss you so passionately, when you're so... hurt". Hurt because of me, he couldn't help reminding himself.

"Oh Daniel" she hummed, "You can't kill me with kisses"

His eyes twitched at the word kill and she continued, articulating each word slowly and smoothly, for dramatic effect and that extra punch she knew he'd feel, "You can kill me with a knife, a poison" she paused for a second and gestured to her wound, "...a gunshot" letting that sink in for a second longer as that was her main point, she finished by lightly saying, "But Daniel you couldn't kill me with kisses."

There was a long moment of silence before Daniel filled it by faintly uttering, "You're right", finding that was the only thing he could get out before it felt like his throat had constricted inside of him, immobilizing what he really wanted to say. That he could never kill her, be it by knife, poison, gun or kisses, that he would never try. That she shouldn't talk about such horrible things, that if anyone was going to kill somebody, then it would be his guilt, slowly and agonizingly killing him. It felt like it had already started to anyway.

Because you deserve it, that voice in his head uttered, because you did nearly kill her, because you proved that you could kill her.

"Are you alright Daniel? You look rather pale" Emily said faking concern as she grabbed for his hand.

Pulling away from her touch, he stood up and quietly said, "I haven't been eating well that's all, don't worry about me, just get better and rest" maybe, then you'll remember and hate me, punish me and anger me, maybe then the guilt won't be as bad, he thought as he quickly walked out of the room before it could suffocate him further.

Thanks to all those who gave my story a chance, I hope the second chapter didn't disappoint and a special thanks to Only Hope-7, Forevermissingclaudiaz and guest who left a comment, it made me very happy and motivated me to get this one out quicker :)