Thank you for the review and thank you to anyone who's added this to favourite or follow! I admit to being somewhat surprised by the comparative lack of Emma/Ethan fics on her. I never really saw her and Thayer even before his dark side emerged, she only seemed to look at him as a friend, which given the way the relationship went was probably the idea. Anyway, regardless of people's opinions on the characters, I hope you enjoy this.

EPISODE THREE: Escape From LA

CHAPTER ONE

Emma and Mads waited inside the terminal until Thayer came through the departure gate. "Thayer, what's all this about?"Mads asked.

Thayer had been thinking ever since he left the prison about the best way to broach the subject. The last thing he needed was to get them offside. "I spoke with Rebecca."

He saw both of them tense up instantly. "What? Why?"Emma asked.

Thayer decided to gloss over the question of what he was doing there. Hopefully, the information he had for them would be enough to stop them pressing the point. "She's given me the names and addresses of the people who were in the car with Jordan."

"Jordan's legal team have been trying to talk to them,"Mads argued. "They won't see anyone."

"They'll see us. Rebecca's name could open a few doors around here."

"Why's she trying to help?"Emma asked. "She's the one who got Jordan arrested in the first place."

Thayer shrugged. "Maybe being in jail's made her realise she doesn't want the same to happen to Jordan."

"She kind of deserves to be in jail,"Emma argued.

"We don't know she's guilty yet,"Thayer replied, carrying on before the two girls could argue. "The important thing right now is Jordan, okay? Let's get this sorted."

Laurel was running around the flat like an excited child at Christmas, looking in all the rooms. "Oh my god, there's two bedrooms! I have got to have a sleep over."

Ted had a feeling that making promises might not be the best idea. "We'll have to see what your mother says."

Sutton's reaction to his new home was rather more sedate. "Are you sure you're going to have enough room for everything?"

"It's bigger than my room at the club,"Ted pointed out.

Sutton conceeded the point with a shrug. "I guess slumming it is what you get for having one daughter grow up thinking she isn't your daughter and another one grow up not knowing you exist."

Ted shifted awkwardly. "How is Emma?"

"She's in LA."

"Hey, maybe she could have the other room when she gets back?"Laurel suggested. "Beats that cabin."

"Not exactly lying low,"Sutton pointed out. "Unless you want people to start wondering how I'm managing to live with both my parents at the same time."

"Look, I know you want the situation with Emma to get sorted out,"Ted noted. "We all do. But at the moment it's very complicated."

"Is there ever going to be a good time to break the news?"Laurel asked.

Sutton looked at her younger sister, unable to argue with the insight. "I guess not."

Emma, Mads and Thayer stood on the doorstep, waiting for an answer to their ringing. "He's not going to talk to us,"Mads insisted.

"He will,"Thayer replied with equal certainty.

At that moment, the door swung open to reveal a shifty looking young man who appeared to be somewhere in his late teens or early twenties. "Yeah?"

"Eric Stevens?"Emma asked.

Eric looked at them suspiciously. "Who's asking?"

"Rebecca Sewell sent us,"Thayer explained.

Eric stepped aside. "Better come in then."

The trio found themselves in what seemed to be a typical bachelor pad, with clothes and various half-eaten takeaways strewn everywhere. Emma and Mads both did their best to ignore the mess. "We need you to tell the truth in court,"Emma explained.

"I already am telling the truth,"Eric replied. "Philip was getting on Jordan's nerves, Jordan said if he didn't shut up he'd kill him, turns out he meant it. That's the truth Rebecca told me to tell."

"The real truth,"Mads amended.

"And why should I do that?"

"Rebecca's giving you the money after you've testified, right?"Thayer asked. Eric nodded uncertainly. "Well, if you don't tell the court what actually happened, you won't get a cent."

Eric looked at him dubiously. "I don't believe you."

Thayer shrugged. "Fine. Ring her and ask her. Then maybe you'll agree to do the right thing. Unless you don't need the cash?"

Rebecca looked at her latest visitor and raised an eyebrow. "Well, this is unexpected."

Kristin shifted awkwardly. "It came as a surprise to me too."

"So, what can I do for you?"

"You can tell me the truth."

Rebecca's expression was cold and unreadable. "About what?"

"Did you kill Alec? And the others?"

"I guess you'll find out when the jury make their decision."

Kristin shook her head. "That's not the important thing though, is it? There's more going on than that."

"What do you mean?"

"There's some secret that you and Ted are keeping. There are times when I think he's going to tell me but he never does. Even the girls are acting secretive. It's like…it's like there's this big secret that everyone is on but me."

Rebecca smiled. "Poor Kristin. Always the innocent. Do you remember what it felt like when you found out I'd had an affair with Ted?"

Kristin tensed up. "Yes."

"Well, when you get the full story, that'll be nothing." Rebecca got up and went to knock on the door to be taken back to her cell.

Kristin stood up, staring through the glass at her angrily. "What is going on? I want to know!"

Rebecca walked back over, meeting her gaze. "Uh-uh. Not yet. All in good time."