Wow, the favourites and follows have gone crazy since I finished the first episode and I even picked up another review. Thanks to everyone who's come onboard with this, hope you keep reading.

EPISODE TWO: Unholy Alliance

CHAPTER ONE

Thayer's mind was whirring with contradictory thoughts as he arrived back at the Rybak house. He wasn't sure if he could trust Rebecca but then, unlike Alec, she hadn't seemed to ask him to. It was about their mutual interests. And if it stopped the police, and more importantly Emma, from finding out what he'd done, then it was a chance worth taking.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he was taken aback to find Mads in the house. "Where have you been?"he asked her.

"I went to the police station,"she explained. "To see Jordan."

Thayer could vaguely remember, in the confusion of the previous night, Mads telling him that Jordan had been arrested. Somehow, that was Rebecca's fault as well. He felt it wise not to let Mads know where he'd been. "How is he?"

"They're sending him back to LA. I don't know what I can do for him, if Dad was here maybe he'd have some pull but…he's dead and even Rebecca can't help…" Mads shook her head in an effort to stop herself breaking down again. "Where have you been?"

"Clearing out my room,"Thayer replied. It was true, after all. No need to tell her he'd seen Rebecca first. "It was in a bit of a mess."

Mads seemed to register the holdall in his hand for the first time. "You're moving back in?" She said it suspiciously.

"If that's all right."

"What, because Dad's dead?"

"No…I just thought maybe you wouldn't want to be on your own."

Mads shook her head, dispelling the suspicious thoughts. "Yes, of course, you're right. Thank you." She gave him a hug. "Welcome home."

Emma was washing up cups, handing them to Ethan to dry. There was only the two of them left in the cabin, with Sutton and Laurel having decided it was probably a good idea if they actually did check on Mads, and not just because they'd told Kristin it was what they were doing. "You didn't have to stay,"she remarked. "I mean, it's not like we're planning on studying or anything."

"There was a time when we didn't need an excuse to hang out,"Ethan pointed out.

Emma had mostly been concentrating on the cups but now she stole a glance at Ethan. He was looking at her. The way he used to, the way that, after he'd blamed her for Theresa's death and the resulting hurt for Dan, she'd thought he never would again. She felt the butterflies in her stomach that she'd never really felt with anyone else. She handed him the last cup, felt his skin touch hers and wondered if he was going to kiss her.

"How are things with Dan?"she asked.

The question broke the mood and caused Ethan to look away for a moment. When he looked back, he was still friendly but the intensity of his gaze was gone. "Well, I'm not sleeping on Kristin's couch anymore, so that's a bonus. We're getting there. And he told me I could come here again so…"

"Even though he still think it's my fault Theresa's dead?"

"Theresa was dead before anyone even knew she was missing, the autopsy showed that. And Ted wasn't even involved. There's nothing we could have done to save her."

"No?" Emma shrugged. "It's still down to me, isn't it? I mean, she died because she knew about me and Sutton."

"We don't know that."

"Even though it was my mum that killed her?" Emma let the question hang in the air. "Whether it's true or not, as long as Dan thinks it's true…things aren't going to go back to the way they were, are they?"

Ethan held her gaze for a few moments longer, then he left without a word.

Dan was standing outside the trailer when Ethan drew up on his bike. Ethan avoided his gaze, hoping he could get into the trailer without having to have a conversation.

"Which one were you with?"Dan asked, instantly putting paid to that idea.

"Emma,"Ethan answered instantly. There had been enough lies between them in the last few months, another one really wasn't the way to go.

Dan nodded. "Thought so. You've got that look about you."

Ethan was confused. "What look?"

"The same look you had when you first got that motorbike. Whenever you went for a ride on it back then, you used to come back looking like, I dunno, like it was the only time you were allowed to be yourself." Dan gave a shrug, almost managing a smile. "Never thought I'd see the day when you met a girl who'd make you feel like that."

Sutton had made her excuses, claiming there was some errand she needed to run, so Laurel had ended up going home on her own. At least she'd managed to give Kristin a reliable report on how Mads was doing, preventing at least one lie from being rapidly exposed. The two of them were in the kitchen together when she looked round and saw someone unexpected standing in the doorway. "Dad!"she exclaimed in delight.

Kristin looked round at the exclamation, her reaction considerably less enthusiastic but not as cold as it had been recently. "Ted,"she greeted him. "Ah, if you wanted to know if we're all right…"

"That's part of it, yes,"Ted confirmed.

"Then we're fine…"

"But the other part is to tell you I'm not going to be staying at the club anymore."

"You're moving back in here?"Laurel asked hopefully.

Ted looked at her briefly, discomfited by the interjection, then turned back to Kristin. "A colleague's moving out of his flat and I'm taking over the lease. It's a decent size, two bedrooms. It's in a good place for work and to still see the girls, so it's fine."

"What?" Laurel looked at him in astonishment. "Why?"

Ted looked at her again. "Because…whatever's happened and is going to happen, I'm not coming back here." He looked at Kristin. "Am I?"

"Not in the immediate future,"Kristin admitted. "No."

Ted went over to Laurel. "This is for the best, okay? And you and Sutton and…anyone else can visit whenever you like." Laurel understood the silent invitation and nodded. He kissed her on the forehead and drew her into a hug. "It'll be all right."