"The strongest of all warriors are these two – Time and Patience." – Leo Tolstoy

"R-E-T-R-I-B-U-T-I-O-N." Charlotte's fingernail tapped each block, when she counted the letters of the word.

"Triple word score. Nice on, Grams!" Sophia applauded Victoria, who shuffled backward, satisfied once Charlotte calculated the points awarded to her.

"I warned you, she's an expert," Daniel reminded his daughter, more than happy to sit the round out. Family moments like these had finally started to feel like the norm, run-of-the-mill and very un-Grayson-like. Charlotte's pen flipped onto the table and her father chuckled at her frustration, "She's still winning, huh?"

"It's not about winners and losers, Daniel," his mother scolded him. Meanwhile, Hannah deliberated with Sophia about whether to spell the word 'cat' with a 'C' or 'K', before she proudly placed her blocks onto the board on her turn.

At his mother's ironic remark, Daniel raised an eyebrow; his mother knew very well how often it had been drilled into him to fight, until the bitter end, and accept nothing but first place. She caught his eye and flashed a wicked smile, before returning her attention to the board. Daniel nudged his wife's arm, "Em, you okay?" She had been unusually quiet, and she had been actively avoiding his mother.

"I'm exhausted, that's all," Emily explained, "Life has been pretty hectic lately. It would be nice to have some peace." The media attention still raged on, interrupting their lives on a daily basis, and it had taken its toll on the entire family. "I'm going to clean up in the kitchen."

Alone in the kitchen, Emily sought solace, until her mother-in-law appeared. "Jacob has decided to scroll through the entire dictionary before he takes his turn," Victoria chuckled, "We could be here for years before makes his move." Her eyes surveyed the kitchen that didn't need much cleaning, at all. "Can I help?"

Evermore uncomfortable, alone with Victoria, Emily shook her head. Since their heart-to-heart, she had hoped any historical tension would have faded but Victoria seemed to have retained her old attitude. "That's alright. It will be your turn soon," she motioned back to the den. "They all seem to adore you," Emily filled the silence, when Victoria lingered. "I guess, they've missed out on having a grandparent. Daniel was reluctant to have them even meet Conrad." She shiftily searched Victoria's eyes for a clue, "Where exactly does he stand with you? I mean, I'm sure he'd like to see you."

"I've already seen him," Victoria confided, "The day you asked me to stay."

"I'm sure he had plenty of questions for you." The blonde was mildly irritated by the fact that she hadn't been permitted witness such a conversation.

"Actually, he had more accusations than questions; he warned me to stay away from you." Victoria's nails nibbled on the edge of the kitchen counter, "He alluded to the possibility that you weren't done with vengeance on me, or my family."

Emily scowled, "I suppose, I shouldn't be surprised that Conrad's suspicious of my motives, even after all of these years. He lost everything because of me." She chewed on her lip, "He doesn't trust me, he never will but, the real question is; do you, Victoria?"

Victoria faltered, for the briefest of moments, "Trust is a weakness, Amanda. You and I understand that better than most because we learnt from bitter experience. I don't trust you anymore now than I did when I met you." Victoria closed the physical gap between herself and Emily, her expression one of menace. "Despite the disappointment I've brought for Daniel, don't be naive enough to believe you could ever separate him from me. He may fall under your spell but his loyalty has always been to his family. I'm a part of that."

"You were a part of that, Victoria," Emily retaliated, "But I've been here for twenty years, the mother of his children..."

"Mom," Daniel appeared, oblivious to their stand-off. "It's your turn." His cheerful tone subsided at his wife's face, "Everything okay in here?"

"Your mother and I were in the middle of a disagreement," Emily matter-of-factly replied, which threw Victoria off-balance. "Your mother believes that the media attention would die down if I announce myself as the real Amanda Clarke. I think it's a ridiculous idea. The only way to divert attention is to disregard the matter."

"Whoa, hold on... hold on, mom could be onto something here," Daniel pointed at his mother. "That could be the answer to our troubles!"

"See, what did I tell you?" Victoria dutifully played her part, a wry smile on her lips, as if her point had been proven; Daniel would always side with her. "I was sure you would see the bigger picture, sweetheart," she patted his back, supportively.

"If the public can see that David Clarke's daughter has been able to forgive and forget, maybe they'll follow suit." Daniel became more enthusiastic by the second, much to Emily's blatant shock, since she conjured the lie in the heat of the moment.

She vehemently shook her head, "I can't do that, Daniel; I won't do that to Amanda. What about her son?"

"He deserves the truth, doesn't he?" Daniel was visibly torn between the two women in his life, and he pleaded with his mother for advice, "Mom?"

"I've said my piece, Daniel," Victoria carefully eyed her daughter-in-law. "Emily understands how I feel."

The older woman waltzed from the kitchen and Emily clenched her fists, frustrated by the sudden turn of events. She sternly glared at her husband, "Don't look at me like that, Daniel. I can't sell Amanda out because it suits you! She never did, she's been loyal from the beginning." There were differences of opinion and the odd hitch but Amanda had stuck by Emily's side for years. "All she has ever asked for, in return, was that her son not be hurt." Emily's hand caressed his cheek, "Now that I know the kind of hurt the truth caused you, how could I inflict the same on her son?" She shook her head, her answer was negative. "I'm sorry, babe."

Daniel exhaled, between pressed lips, "Then... what?"

"We need to wait out the storm, that's all. Eventually, they'll get bored," she promised her husband. "Give it time, Daniel. All you need is a little patience."

His goofy, loveable grin stretched across his face, "I've never been very good at that."

"Well..." Emily's lips twisted, "You are a Grayson." She, too, would need patience to deal with Victoria, who had returned as formidable as ever.