The Greatest Secret

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly

A/N:

Chapter 190 (First Step to Change)

The next morning, on the 8th. Marissa was having coffee with Robert, Angeline, Arian, and Spencer and had been discussing recent happenings around the town. The honeymoon ended a bit early because of an emergency. One of her key witnesses, Nevel Papperman, had been murdered. "I thought I had him transferring hospitals, though." She was frustrated that Bana might have gone in to finish the job. They were not completely sure, but it was highly likely. No one saw anyone go into Nevel's hospital room, no one saw him leave. There wasn't anything on the cameras either. He'd been suffocated to death.

"It's an depressing dilemma," Arian commented. He'd instructed Vera and Besim to find safety and security. Vera's son, Carlos, was also deceased now. They suspected Lionel, but the murder did not look like something he would have done. His entire body had been mutilated, cut up, just like Nevel and his body guards had been. "We have two psychopaths after our family. How are we supposed to protect them? Vera's grieving, we're all grieving. Aunt Era refuses to leave, she believes in not 'letting them win'."

"I know, right now I would like to think Freddie, Carly, and Sam are safer in LA, but is it likely for either Bana or Lionel to go after them?" She realized that if either men went after them, it would likely be Bana, considering Lionel was after the true blooded Shays. "What doesn't help is for some reason, Tyrone's pathetic little gang is starting to send me more threats ever since Robert and I got married! I don't know if it's his doing or not…" Angeline bowed her head and the others slowly looked to her. They knew by now that Tyrone sought her out on the wedding day. Bana's "arrival" was all a ploy for him to sneak in and talk to her and she helped him get out. "I'm sorry to even bring him up, I know how you're feeling about him. I'm just dealing with a lot of stress now with the news of Bana, Lionel, and then there's Tyrone. An ignorant ass, as Morris says, but apparently nothing more than that…" The woman shook her head and met Marissa's eyes with the tiniest smile she could muster.

"It's fine. I don't know if he's behind the threats from that gang, they seem to act un-accordingly to his wishes."

"Yeah, I have been noticing that a lot lately." Sipping her coffee, she thought back onto the past year. Clearly Tyrone had started to detach from that gang, they were growing desperate and running around like a chicken without its head. "I'm trying to differentiate between what's worse, the gang, Bana, or Lionel, but it's all just giving me a headache!" Her coffee landed on the ground with a certain level of haste. It wasn't hard to figure that Bana would be a pretty big threat, but he was just acting like a thug on steroids than anything else. He laid low most of the time, it seemed, but the gang was always around somewhere. "I'm starting to think that gang would be worse than the two serial killers right now."

"I told them to disband…" Her eyes widened as the others gasped, she quickly stood up and glared off to the side. Tyrone was walking towards them, clearly upset. Angeline looked up at him for a brisk moment and frowned. Marissa's eyes were narrowed and locked with his. Right now, he was the last person she wanted to see, and he knew that.

"Are you sure you want to be standing there right now, Tyrone. Because I'm about to go off on the entire Shay clan if I have to…"

"No. Go off if you'd like, I don't associate with that half any longer…" Angeline raised her eyebrow and Marissa narrowed her eyes with burning skepticism. He slowly closed his hands up and bowed his head. His heart was trembling and the heat inside him was rising. What was he doing? "I don't know who my mother was, but I know she was a Davidson. How do I know? Well…someone told me. I mean, I found those journals."

"Have you been in my office?"

"No! I mean before…before Nora handed them over." Marissa raised an eyebrow and tilted her head to the side. Tyrone inhaled sharply and pressed his lips together. "You don't have to believe me about anything, just…I know I told that gang that it was over. All this time…I've been so blinded…I'm not a bad person, I don't want to be, it's just…I don't know."

"Difficult for you to see past whatever hit you the first time?"

"Yeah…if there's anyone left in that gang, I know every member involved, there aren't that many people…I want to help you arrest the ones still causing any trouble." She wasn't too sure if she was to trust him or not, but the tone of his voice sounded sincere. "You shouldn't have to deal with that, none of you should. I know I'm a family man, I've been hurting my family all these years and…I don't know if it's repentance I want, I don't know what I'm looking for, I just want to do the right thing. I don't want to lose my family." He moved his eyes to Robert and frowned when his son turned his head away. "Robert, I'm sorry…for everything. To you, to Marissa, Spencer…I know the things I've done are wrong and I don't expect any of you to forgive me, just…let me do this one last thing and I'll stay out of your hair. If you never want to see or hear from me again, I understand…"

"It seems like you've done a lot of thinking. Assuming I can trust you, you'd really send your little 'gang' to prison?" He closed his eyes and without any hesitation, answered her.

"I would. There's not a doubt in my mind. I'll do anything if it means protecting my family. Nora once asked me whose side I was on…and thinking about it now, I realize I've been on the wrong side all these years. I've been an ass, I've been egotistical, I've been arrogant, and I know that just saying sorry won't be enough…I don't think anything I do would ever be enough to make up for all the stuff I've done…" Certain people, certain things, he just couldn't bring back. Maybe he couldn't win Angeline's heart again, maybe he wouldn't earn his son's acceptance and approval, but he would still do anything just to try and turn things around. "I saw her die last night in that cemetery…"

"You were there last night?" Angeline asked in a quick tone of voice. She rose sharply and stared at him with wide eyes. "That poor girl was murdered by Bana, wasn't it? What were you doing there? You could have been killed!"

"I almost was…she saved my life." Robert swallowed and stared at his hands, wanting to try and find any way to make light of the thought that his father nearly died. He couldn't.

"I'm amazed that she did, really. Didn't the cops say she was siding with Bana at the time?"

"Yeah, but she didn't agree with him, she wanted to save everyone. I'm a Davidson, you know. It might be time for me to start acting like it?" Marissa chuckled slightly and shook her hand almost dismissively. Tyrone felt a pit in his stomach and swallowed hard as her sharp stare fell upon him.

"If you're really so willing to change, prove it."

"What would you have me do?"

"Help me round up that damned gang of yours of course. Then, meet Era."

"Era? You mean…"

"My Aunt," Arian added without hesitation. Tyrone smiled slightly as he met Arian's familiar eyes. "You know she wants to meet you, but I held off on ever contacting you. I can see in your eyes, you do look like you're willing to make that step, but I don't know if you really are or not…"

"I'd do anything. I don't want Nora's death to be in vain."

"It won't be."

Marissa rubbed her forehead and sighed, she was truly becoming tired of all the mess going on around this town. The Chief wasn't doing much to subdue it all, so she had to take action herself. "No more murders, I don't want any more murders happening under my watch. No one else in my family needs to die, I refuse to let that happen. Tyrone, if you're willing to sacrifice your pride…"

"Like I said. Anything I can do, I'll do it."

"Fine. Tell me what you know." Everyone sat down and eyed Tyrone as he remained standing in his place. He took a deep breath and felt a chill run down his spine. He'd been watching his gang since the previous night, there really weren't many people left, to be honest.

"There are about twenty men left in this gang, no more, no less. The people involved are scattered around Seattle, but right now…I think about five of them are around here."

"What?"

"Yeah, I saw them when I came up here. They're spying on you guys." Marissa growled and slammed her hand on the table as the others started looking back and forth amongst each other.

"Tell me where you saw them last!"

"Hold on. I don't know what they're planning, but I know their names. If they get away, I have a list of every person involved in this 'anti-arranged marriage' group. You can arrest every one of them."

"Okay, I got it. Just tell me where the fuck these bastards are."

"Well when I saw them, I kind of knocked them out…you know, chloroform makes a good chemical when no one sees you." Marissa raised her eyebrow as Angeline chuckled at the thought. He smiled and pointed to a small hill across the street. "They're all asleep over there."

"They are?" She rose to her feet and grabbed the gun at her waist, it paid off to be in full uniform. As she ran for the hill, the others followed after her. They came upon the hill and saw three men and two women scattered on the hill. All of them were snoring peacefully. Marissa smirked and grabbed the radio at her hip. "This is your Deputy Chief, Marissa Benson. All nearby units report to the Coffee shop on Unity Drive. I have five vandalism suspects asleep on a hillside and a witness to confirm their activities."

Tyrone puffed his chest out, proud of himself. He looked to Angeline, who appeared to be trying to hold back her laughter at the situation. "Amazing, Tyrone…just amazing…" He smirked at her and met her wondrous eyes.

"Why thank you my dear."

Marissa rolled her eyes and started to handcuff the people as the other members of the family gazed on in surprise. Angeline folded her arms and turned to Tyrone, staring into his eyes with a subtle frown. "Is this real? Are you really doing this?"

"Yes…"

"Why?"

"I know I was wrong before. I know I don't deserve forgiveness, but I just can't stand to hurt my real family anymore…I thank Nora for that epiphany, I suppose."

"Really? Then I guess it was a good thing you met her."

"It wasn't just her, Angel." He turned fully to her and swallowed as he pushed his trembling hands into his pockets. She raised her eyebrow as he continued to gaze at her. "It was you, it was Carly, it was our son, it was Marissa…everyone…I couldn't bear to lose my family. I'm a Davidson, not a Shay, I can't bear to lose my family. They mean everything to me. But…"

"But what?"

"I've already lost…" She raised her eyebrow and tilted her head as he turned his eyes down. "I lost the thing I never wanted to lose most of all, and I didn't see it then, but I see it now and…I wish I could do it over again, I wish I could change it."

"What was that, dare I ask?"

"You...Your love…" She scoffed once and turned her eyes to the handcuffed gang members as two squad units pulled up alongside the streets. She took a deep breath and turned her gaze back to Tyrone.

"You never lost that. You just pushed it out the door."

"I know. Nothing can ever change what I did. I told you I'd stay with you, I told you I loved you, I told you I'd protect you."

"Now isn't the time, Tyrone…"

"Then when is the right time, Angel?" She pressed her lips together and shrugged as the police officers ran past them and started to subdue the awakening gang members. When they realized what happened, they glared at Tyrone, unable to do a thing to avoid their own arrest. They started shouting at him, calling him a traitor. He ignored them. "Angel?"

"You're working on it, I guess…you know you really hurt me. You want to make up for it-"

"I'll do anything! Angel, we're both getting older, neither of us deserve to be alone…"

"Like I said. Now's not the time for all that. There's so much to deal with, so much going on, so many things that are wrong. How is Marissa to know that you won't continue going after her son? How are Maggie and Morris to be confident that you won't annoy them further about Sam? Tell me, how do you plan on fixing all that?"

"I…I don't know yet."

"Nobody trusts you yet, and for good reason. You've done a lot of damage in the past thirty years. A lot of it you can't take back now, but surely there's still stuff you can work on. I know a therapist that's good with anger management, I think you could benefit."

"You do? Who's the therapist?" She inhaled and looked off to the side.

"Dr. Parper, I've seen him a couple times in the last ten or twenty years. He's a good therapist."

"You think he'd be able to help me with my resentments, huh?"

"I don't know. I think he'd be good for you to see either way. It's up to you, really. I'm just throwing it out there that he's a decent therapist and maybe if you saw one, it would show people a willingness to change." He swallowed and nodded as Angeline rubbed her right temple and sighed. "Either way, I need to get out of here, the sirens are giving me a headache."

Seeing a possible opportunity, he took a daring leap. "Would you let me buy you some lunch?" She raised her eyebrow and stared at him for a minute.

"It takes guts to ask that right now, you know."

"I know, but I'm a gutsy person." He smirked and watched her face light up. He knew she would catch that line, the meaning of it. He used to say it all the time when he was younger. He always took risk, was always so daring. She used to love that adventurous side of him and always found it so hard to resist. "I figure I have to put it out there."

"And so you think you can just start courting me after all this time?"

"No I don't think it." He knew it, that's what he was doing after all. His smirk deepened and Angeline gave him a suspicious look. "Like I said, just putting myself out there…take it or leave it, I want you to know how I feel about you."

"Going to take a while on that one, but…I think I will take you up on your lunch offer. Anything to get out of this racket. Subway down the street…how does that sound to you?"

"I'd say it's perfect."

"All right fine." She clenched her eyes shut and moaned as she rubbed her temples and started to walk off towards her car. Marissa looked over from one of the squad cars nearby and raised an eyebrow. She whistled and pointed at Tyrone. He looked over to her and she barked out an order for him.

"You have my number. When you're done treating her to lunch or whatever, give me a call. We're not through here. I'm booking the rest of your petty gang today, I don't want to deal with them any longer!"

"You have my word Marissa. I'll call you."

"You better. You have two hours, I'll be expecting you. If you don't call, your word means nothing to me."

"I understand. I'll call."

"Good." She pushed the fifth gang member in the squad car and Tyrone watched until he heard a car honk. He glanced over and spotted Angeline waving at him, she seemed impatient.

"What are you waiting for? Come on! I'm hungry, I have a headache, let's get out of here. I swear to god you Shay's really need help with women."

"On it." He hurried over to her car and sighed as he got into the passenger seat. This was the closest he'd been in so long, he just couldn't screw this up. He lifted his eyes skyward as Angeline drove off, speaking no words. Breathing in, he closed his eyes and whispered under his breath. "Thank you Nora…"

Next chapter coming soon