Chapter Four

The living room of Grayson Manor had become Daniel's post. From there, he could stand at the back doors and look out to the vast views of their backyard and beyond. Perhaps, he was playing mind games with himself, but it was only there he did not feel as trapped. His expression remained grim though as he thought of his ongoing predicament. Having left work early, he stopped by his safe haven, if such a large place could even be called that, prior to returning to the beach house where Emily would be waiting.

As was often the case though, Victoria interrupted his moment of solitude. "Why such a sour face? I would think the fact Lydia Davis is the prime suspect in Emily's shooting should bring you some sense of relief."

Daniel did not look at his mother as she spoke which was customary these days, and responded coldly. "Forgive me if I don't enjoy letting an innocent person take the fall for my crimes, like you and Dad do."

"Bite your tongue," Victoria snipped. "And Lydia may not have shot Emily, but she is far from innocent. Better she take the blame than you."

There was no point in arguing with her so Daniel shifted the subject. "Charlotte accidentally told Emily about the "miscarriage"."

"How did she take it?"

"Well, seeing as how she thinks she really was pregnant, she's been very upset about it." Daniel released a heavy breath and finally looked at Victoria. "I don't know how much longer I can keep up this charade. I feel like the walls are closing in on me. And as if things aren't complicated enough, Jack Porter's been coming around to visit."

"Perhaps, you should take Emily out of town for a while. Get her away from the media and people like Jack Porter and Nolan Ross. No good will come of their time with her."

She was right and Daniel knew it. "That's actually a good idea."

Victoria feigned a smile. "Well, I'm glad we finally agree on something."

The beach house was empty Daniel arrived home. Emily had not left a note, but being that it was still only late afternoon, she probably thought he would not be home until much later. Stepping back out onto the porch, Daniel began to scan the view before him. His eyes quickly landed on Emily walking in the distance along the beach.

His breath caught slightly at the sight of her long hair and dress blowing gently in the wind. Her beauty seemed inescapable to him. It was maddening.

As Emily walked closer in view, Daniel noticed how lonely she looked, like she had not a friend in the world. His growing sense of compassion towards her was becoming more difficult to resist. Still unaware of his presence, Emily stopped and turned towards the ocean then, crossing her arms in the process. Hesitantly, Daniel decided to go to her and briskly crossed the stretch of sand between them. "There you are," He called as he approached, but Emily barely reacted to the sound of his voice.

Though the kissed they had shared the night prior was wonderful, it had ended abruptly, and Daniel had since recoiled from her emotionally once again. Emily did not know what to think anymore. Finding out she had lost something she did not even know she'd once had, left her feeling empty inside. She was married to a man whom she wanted get to know and love again, but she was losing hope of ever breaking beyond his barriers. "I didn't expect you home so early," She eventually replied.

"I wanted to check on you. How're you feeling?"

"Physically? Stronger every day. Emotionally? Defeated."

"That's not like you, Em." The words rolled out of his without thought, and Daniel instantly regretted them.

"Well, I don't really know what is like me, now do I?" Emily snapped, her response catching Daniel off guard. It was the first time she had exhibited anger since awakening without her memory. Immediately realizing the harshness of her tone, she closed her eyes, regaining her composure. "I'm sorry. It's just...to find out that something was alive inside of me, and now it's gone...I just...can't believe anyone could be so cruel." She looked at Daniel, her brow now knitted in anguish. "How could Lydia have done that?"

Despite how wrong it was for Lydia to take the blame, in that moment, Daniel was thankful for it. In reality, an innocent child had not been lost, but shooting Emily, had indeed, been cruel. He feared the day when she would know the truth and look at him with the pain in her eyes she held now, but directed towards his actions alone.

"I - I...I don't know. Sometimes...people do things unexplainable...things they never thought they were capable of doing." Daniel answered reflectively, speaking of himself, though Emily did not recognize it. He cleared his throat to break the moment. "Listen, I was thinking... what do you say we get away for a bit? We never really had a honeymoon. I'll take you anywhere you want to go."

Daniel watched as her mouth puckered in the corner, but her mood remained low in spite of his generosity. "You could turn a girl's head."

"I thought it might be nice to have some time to just relax and be together." Who was he trying to convince? Her or himself?

"Are you sure that's what you want?" Emily asked pointedly. She was tired of his games, whether they were intentional or not. Her emotions were too fragile to be continually yanked around like a yo-yo. Daniel paused thoughtfully. This would be a turning point for them. He was either in or out. If he told her the truth, she would be furious and hurt, but if he were going to continue with the lie, he would need to be committed to it. Maybe it was for his own preservation, or maybe he just wasn't ready to let her go just yet, but he reached a decision.

"I'm sorry I've been so cold. It wasn't fair." Emily cast her eyes to the ocean, Daniel's sincere apology somehow overpowering. "I want to start over with you, Em." He gently grabbed her arm, willing her to look at him. "If you'll let me," Daniel added in a whisper, his brown eyes honest.

Emily only responded with silence, but now her eyes had softened. Finally after several moments, she began to nod every so slightly. Daniel's mouth curved into a smile.

Of all the places Emily could have chosen, Daniel did not expect a cabin in Colorado. Granted, it was a very nice cabin, but the simplicity of her choice surprised him. Nevertheless, it would offer a great deal of privacy, and there wouldn't be a News crew or photographer for miles.

True to form, Emily had awakened early to watch the sunrise the morning after their arrival. Daniel awakened early as well, and when he wandered into the kitchen, he discovered a freshly brewed pot of coffee with an empty mug waiting for him. After pouring himself a cup, he found Emily sitting on the cabin's porch steps, her own cup of coffee in hand.

"Good morning," Daniel said, joining her. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, it's...really peaceful here. I'm glad we came."

"Me too."

"What about you? Did you sleep well?"

"Fairly well, thanks." Truth was, it was difficult for him to sleep soundly these days. Between the guilt which haunted him and sleeping next to the woman who was supposed to be his enemy, he was fortunate to get any sleep at all. "So...what would you like to do today?"

"I thought it might be fun to go fishing, actually."

Daniel raised his brow, uncomfortable at the thought. "Fishing? Okay..."

Emily smirked in amusement. "What? Don't tell me you've never fished."

"I went deep sea fishing once in college."

"Ah...I forget that you were practically raised as royalty. What about me? Did I go fishing as a child?"

Daniel paused, his smile fading. "I don't know, to be honest. We never...talked about it."

"Oh." Emily's smile fell as well, but Daniel quickly attempted to keep the mood light.

"But if it's fishing you want, then it's fishing you'll get."

There was a local general store several miles from Daniel and Emily's cabin where they obtained fishing rods, bate and groceries for the week. They were on the water within a few hours in an old wooden boat, rods perched in anticipation of catching the trout they had told would be nearby.

Emily did not seem to mind simply communing with nature without the luxuries their Hampton lifestyle offered, nor the lack of seeing another human being for miles, other than the man that sat before her. In the quietness of their surroundings, Daniel felt more at ease, while Emily saw it as an opportunity to get more acquainted with him.

"So... please tell me more about yourself, Daniel. I'd like to get to know my husband better." She requested.

"Okay. Well... like you said, I was basically brought up as royalty. I'm pretty certain I was driven home from the hospital in a limo." He shrugged. "I attended the best prep schools, college and then onto Harvard Business. I met you the summer after my first year."

"Did you go back?"

"No. Things...took a different course. I ended up working at the family company, while it was still thriving... even ousted my dad as CEO."

"That was bold."

"Well, it wasn't without its consequences. Truth is, there was a time I didn't think I even wanted to be part of the corporate world. I actually wanted to be a poet."

"A poet? Wow. What stopped you?" Emily asked, intrigued.

"My parents, I suspect. But I don't know...it just wasn't meant to be, I guess. Maybe I should have been a poet though. Things sure would have turned out a lot differently."

"So that's why I filled that scrapbook with poems," Emily surmised, thinking of the brown leather book that had recently become one of her most prized possessions.

"Yes. "Where we love is home. Home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts." I recited that poem to you at the end of our first date," Daniel explained, discovering that just talking to her really was not so bad, after all. Emily was an excellent and receptive listener. "I think I believed anything was possible that night." He added softly in fondness of his recollection.

There was a sudden tug on his line, interrupting their special moment. Being the inexperienced fisherman that he was, Daniel tried to recoil it and automatically stood up in the boat. "Daniel, don't -" Emily warned, but it was too late. The boat began to rock, causing him to lose his balance and fall over the side. Emily brought her hand to her mouth, the other firmly gripped on the wooden structure in attempt to not fall in herself.

Daniel came up out of the water laughing, and Emily's alarmed expression quickly turned into laughter as well until they were both laughing hysterically. It was the first time they had laughed together since the nightmare had begun. It was actually the first time they laughed together in a very long time, Daniel realized. And it felt nice.

"We have a problem," Nolan said to both Jack and Aiden after making a dramatic entrance into the, otherwise empty, Stowaway.

"Another one?" Aiden asked with sarcasm. Things had not exactly been going according to plan as of late.

"Yes. It seems Daniel has whisked Emily away for a honeymoon," Nolan informed his co-hearts in disgust.

"Well, that's just great," Jack muttered from behind the bar.

"Any idea where they've gone?" Aiden questioned, rather disturbed by the thought of Emily being alone with Daniel for any length of time.

Nolan took a seat on one of the bar stools. "Charlotte doesn't know. Apparently, it was top secret in attempt to keep the media away."

"At least we know Daniel won't hurt her physically," Jack offered in attempt to console himself.

Aiden shook his head. "We don't know that. I'm not convinced he wasn't the shooter."

"Come on man, I hate the guy too, but there's no denying how much he's loved Emily... however misguided it might have been," Jack reminded.

"Daniel has already proven he's willing to pull the trigger." Aiden pulled down the neck of his shirt to reveal the scar the bullet had left. The bullet he took when Daniel had fired Emily's gun.

"Wait, Daniel shot you?" Nolan asked, stunned.

Jack echoed with a simple, "Why?"

"It's a long story," Aiden mumbled. "We need to figure out where they are."

That night, thousands of miles away, Daniel was pouring he and Emily each a glass of Pinot Noir when she entered the living room, the golden lighting of the room illuminating her skin. Daniel looked at her for a long moment before handing her the glass. Emily smiled as she accepted it and raised it for a toast. "To us," She suggested.

Daniel's mind flashed to the night she had made the same toast on the the roof of Grayson Global, lifting her left ring finger to draw attention to the fact she was wearing the engagement ring again. He quickly pushed the memory away. "To us."

After they both had taken a swallow of wine, Emily continued pensively. "Daniel, would you mind if I asked some more questions?"

"You can ask whatever you want, Em. I just may not know the answer... as was proven on several occasions today." Questions regarding her own past seemed to stump him. There was so much she had never told him. How had he not noticed it before, Daniel wondered?

Emily smiled encouragingly. "Well, these are about our relationship so you should know the answers."

Daniel gave a nod with a small grin. "Okay, I think I can handle that."

"I just would like to know more about the beginning of our relationship. Charlotte told me how I spilled my drink on your jacket which sounds rather embarrassing, but...I don't know...I just want to know about our first kiss, how we fell in love...things like that." The topic of their love was one Daniel had been trying to avoid, but it was a reasonable request, and he knew Emily deserved honest answers from him.

And so he forced himself to return to the past again. It really would not be that difficult. The images of that time were so vivid in his mind. It was almost better to live in the past than the present for the present held so much pain. "The first few months of our relationship were the best days of my life."

Daniel paused, setting his wine glass on the coffee table, then taking Emily's and doing the same. Nothing needed to cloud the moment. "I had met this beautiful and brilliant woman... and you captured my heart. I wanted you. I wanted you more than I've ever wanted anyone or anything."

Emily was not expecting such a response from him. Daniel was finally revealing himself to her, confirming there had not always been such a distance between them. "And once you had me?" She softly prompted.

Daniel stepped forward becoming lost in the moment, the memories consuming. He took her face in his hands as he had the other night. "I never wanted to let you go."

It startled Emily when Daniel's lips crashed against her own, hungrily kissing her. It was different than the kiss they had previously shared. This one was lustful and filled with need. Daniel was not certain what he was trying to accomplish. Emily had once been everything to him, but she had ripped the dream away. He wanted it back, if only for a few minutes. And so he desperately sought to find the feelings he had once experienced with her.

Daniel pulled away suddenly while he still had the willpower to do so, and Emily brought her fingertips to her stinging mouth, looking downwards. "You weren't ready for that... I'm sorry," Daniel apologized.

She shook her head to the contrary. "Why did you stop?"

"I...I wanted to be mindful of your injuries," Daniel lied. He was losing control again, and he cursed himself for even wanting her. He needed air, but he couldn't leave her without arousing even more suspicion. Emily was no fool, memory or not, and knew there must be more to it than he was letting on. "Is it chilly in here to you? I think we need more fire wood." The temperature was irrelevant, but Daniel needed a distraction. He walked over to the fireplace, stoking the fire.

Emily played along. "Well, that's thoughtful of you, but...it's not a problem anymore."

Daniel narrowed his brow as she began to unbutton her shirt in explanation. His brow then crumpled in horror when he saw the burned circular scars on her skin. "What the hell? What did you do?"

"I had my nurse cauterize me."

"Are you insane? What compelled you to do such a thing?"

Emily shrugged as if the decision had been insignificant. "I was tired of the pain."

"When did you do this?"

"Yesterday morning after you left for work. I was sitting in front of the fire, feeling sorry for myself, and...the thought occurred to me. I realized that was one area of my life that I could control...so I did."

Daniel shook his head, experiencing a mixture of emotions. Obviously, she was much braver than he had ever thought about being, and it further proved there was so much he still needed to learn about her. "I guess I really have been a fool."

"What are you talking about?" Emily questioned in confusion and closed her shirt, feeling vulnerable.

"You made the choice to do that because...that's who are you. But I don't know that part of you.

It was one of the many things you kept it closed off. You told me it was because of the loss you'd experienced as a child, that it was hard for you to trust. But it wasn't entirely your fault... Maybe I just never made you feel safe enough to reveal that part of yourself to me." Daniel moved closer to her. "You ask me questions, and I don't know the answer to them. Because I guess I don't even really know you. I don't even know my own wife."

"You don't mean that," Emily breathed, not wanting it to be true. She needed him to know her better than anyone else did. She was relying on it because she did not even know herself.

Though risky, their conversation was therapeutic for Daniel. He was finally having the opportunity to express the pent up thoughts and emotions he had been withholding. Ironically, Emily was an ignorant audience without the ability to offer any kind of explanation of the past. "All I've wanted is for you to love me as much as I've loved you. To need me as much as I've needed you. I don't think... you've ever needed me until now," Daniel said softly, the thought occurring to him for the first time.

Emily was moved by his pain and by the rawness of his words. "I can't change the past, Daniel. I don't even know who I was in the past. I obviously hurt you... and I'm sorry."

It wasn't fair for her to shoulder the blame though, not after what he had done. "Like I've said before, we've both hurt each other."

"But I do need you now, Daniel. I'm so scared," Emily admitted in a whisper which caused Daniel to wrap his arms around her for a warm embrace. Emily held onto him tightly, finally feeling secure.

"I'm here, Em. I'm not going anywhere." He promised. Very slowly, Emily began to pull away, her cheek brushing Daniel's as she did so. Gently, he pressed his forehead to her's, his breathing heavy. Emily's heart rate increased in anticipation, wanting so badly to find out how it would feel to be intimate with him. Daniel knew he was about to cross a line, one of which he thought he never would again.

"Be with me tonight," Emily mumbled as she placed her lips to his. Weary from resisting her, Daniel gave in and enveloped her mouth in passion. But this time when their kiss ended, it was only momentary as he led her to the bedroom. Immediately, they discarded their clothing and met under the sheets. Daniel brushed a few stray strands of hair from Emily's face as she slid below him, her eyes welcoming.

"You sure?" Daniel questioned, reminding himself how wrong it was to be with her under such pretenses. But Emily answered with a kiss and he could no longer refuse. He did not want to.

Every motion, every kiss, was perfectly executed and timed. Emily wondered if anything had ever felt so good to her. She could not imagine anything better. It was as if a kaleidoscope of colors were being revealed to her for the first time, and it was perfection. She wrapped her arms around Daniel, longing for him to be even closer. He simply could not be close enough.

God help him, Daniel still loved her. Despite the lies, despite all the pain she had caused, Emily was still the pinnacle for him. Being one with her again had brought him an indescribable sense of relief, and one that he did not know he was seeking. As he moved deeper, he felt her body responding willingly and feverishly to his. It was then that Daniel realized she must have been holding back before. For all the times they'd made love, she had never been as free as this.

Maybe Charlotte had been right when she said they had been given a second chance, a clean slate. Maybe Emily's memory loss had finally given Daniel the opportunity to know who she was at the core. Maybe they would be better than they were before. Maybe.

A/N: My apologies for the long delay in updating this fic, and I thank you for all your kind words on the previous chapter! It is my hope that there is still interest in the fic and that you will be pleased with the direction of this installment. I have some curves in mind for future chapters and would love to hear your thoughts. :)