A/N: Hello, faithful Demily shippers and followers of this story! I am finally back with an over-due update. My apologies for the delay. Thank you for your patience and continued support. I sincerely appreciate it and also very much appreciate your kind words of encouragement on the previous chapter. Hopefully, there is still interest in this story as I craft the final installments. I'm thinking I will round it off with ten chapters. At least, that is the plan at the moment. Okay, enough of my rambling...happy reading. :)

Chapter Eight: Resolution

"This isn't right. It's not enough money. I'm not signing it." Daniel shoved the stack of papers, which were neatly organized in a bradded folder, back across the desk to his divorce attorney. Six weeks had passed since Emily informed him she wanted to end their marriage, and they had been the longest six weeks of Daniel's life. He resisted at first, arguing that a divorce was unnecessary, but she would not hear of it.

"I can't be with someone who would do this to me," Emily declared when Daniel went to visit her at Nolan's home the day after she had abruptly packed her belongings and left the beach house. The lanky billionaire had refused Daniel's request to see Emily, but she had appeared at the last minute, assuring her best friend it was fine. Their subsequent conversation in the foyer had been brief, and though Emily's tone was no longer harsh, her steely eyes were unrelenting, and Daniel knew in that moment, he had lost truly her.

"With all due respect, Mr. Grayson," His attorney replied, breaking Daniel's reflective train of thought. "You've been quite generous with the settlement and have already relinquished your rights to any of your wife's assets."

Daniel stared at the man seated across the desk, older and wiser, than he. But logic was irrelevant to Daniel at this point. He was guilt-ridden in a way this individual could not even begin to comprehend, tormented by his errors. "I'm not paying you to reason with me. I'm paying you to do as I say," Daniel firmly countered. The retainer he was paying certainly entitled him to do so. "Now, I want Emily to be given more."

Without further hesitation, the man gathered his belongings and rose from his chair, preparing to leave. "Very well."

Setting a rendezvous on the beach with his former betrothed was the break Aiden had been waiting for ever since Emily's fateful wedding night to Daniel had rendered her with a blank slate of a memory. He could see her slender figure ascending as they approached each other from opposite directions of the beach, a countenance of determination preceding her. Aiden was the first to speak when their strides brought them to a midpoint. "I was surprised to receive your call."

"If Takeda were still alive, I would have gone to him," Emily solemnly replied, though not in a manner accusatory of Aiden's previous actions. He remained silent, finding no need to defend himself, but rather waited for her to continue. "I wouldn't have called you if it weren't important."

"I know," Aiden acknowledged, finding comfort in the fact she was acting like herself again. "So, why did you?"

Emily relented briefly, casting her eyes towards the ocean. "Because I need to remember everything." She slid her tongue across her lower lip, settling her next statement with herself before verbalizing it. She did not remember much about the man who stood before her, but she remembered enough to know he was her best chance at regaining control of her life. Emily's eyes returned to Aiden's awaiting gaze. "And I think you're the only one who can help me."

"Ems?" Nolan called in a modified octave, entering the foyer of his home without reply. In the recent weeks, he had grown accustomed to having Emily for a roommate, an arrangement he was secretly enjoying more than he was willing to admit to her. Having been a loner nearly his entire life, it was a welcomed change to have the company of the closest representation to family he had. The sliding glass doors lining the back of the living room were completely open, allowing the early fall breeze to cool the house. Emily was seated with tucked legs on the ground facing the pool, her figure appearing very small among the sprawling view. Nolan warily approached her, immediately detecting something was amiss. "Ems?" He repeated in a much softer tone.

But she only continued to stare into space, unresponsive. As Nolan now stood over her, he noticed her hair was wet and swept off her face in a bun, any trace of make up completely disintegrated from her face, cementing that something had clearly happened since he had last seen her hours earlier. Taking a seat on the ground as well, Nolan attempted to break Emily's apparent trance. "What happened?"

"I remember," She quietly stated, still seemingly sorting through the burdensome truth. "All of it."

The startling revelation caused Nolan to pause briefly in wonder. For weeks, her memory had only been returning in fragments. "How?"

"I had a hunch... and Aiden helped me prove it to be true."

"You went to Aiden?" This surprised him all the more. Try as Aiden might, Emily had resisted his attempts to reach out to her on several occasions.

"I knew he was the only one who would be willing to do what it would take," She explained, recalling how at her request, Aiden bound her hands and feet before repeatedly plunging her into a large tub of water. And though she would come up gasping for air, she would breathlessly command, "again", and he would obey, holding her under water with increasing length each time.

The breakthrough had begun slowly with blurred images... images which subtly came into focus. Her father was chasing after her down the beach as the nine year-old version of herself ran further into the darkness. It was storming, and they were both soaked as result. Why had she been running? Victoria. Yes, Victoria. Amanda interrupted them in the throws of passion, a disturbing sight both then and now. Her father yelled at her because of it at the time, but now on the beach, he grabbed her, told how he loved her. But she hated Victoria. There was something about the raven - haired beauty that was terrifying, a pending doom hovering over there lives. "Why didn't he listen to me, Nolan?" Emily whispered with tears pooling in her eyes, bringing her recounting to a close. "Things could have been so different."

Nolan placed a comforting hand to her shoulder, pained by what he was hearing. "I'm so sorry, Ems."

"That one memory of my father was blocking all the others." Emily shook her head, finding it ironic that the person whose memory had driven and guided her for years, had been holding her back. "And now I remember everything... each memory...every painful one of them... so much pain." She shut her eyes tightly, dropping her chin. "All these weeks... I've been wanting to remember so badly, and now... I realize not remembering was a gift... a brief escape." Nolan watched those pooled tears spill onto her cheeks and decided it was best to sit in silence, sensing Emily needed more time to grieve over the life she had remembered. Drawing a long breath, she opened her eyes and titled her head to see the compassionate expression covering his face. "I don't like what I've remembered, Nolan. I liked the life I thought I had."

The mere idea that she was enjoying her life as a Grayson, enjoying being married to the man she had sought out like prey, and ultimately being happy in the farce she had created as a means to an end, was another ironic twist of fate. "I'm sorry, Ems, but... it wasn't real," Nolan gingerly reminded.

Emily was looking wistfully forward again and narrowed her brow. "It felt real," She whispered, thinking of her brief time with Daniel.

Sensing this, Nolan winced slightly, wishing he could change the circumstances for her. "Maybe some of it was," Nolan amended sympathetically. "But... it doesn't change the truth."

Emily sighed, resolute to the fact she needed to forget the life Daniel had led her to believe existed. But now that her memory had fully returned, she feared she would never be able to forget again. "I know...which is why I'm certain ending our marriage is the right decision."

There was the Emily he knew, the one determined and unwavering in her cause. Catching a glimpse of her true persona, Nolan's mouth began to curve with intrigue. "I'm curious... now that you're recovered... how will Emily Thorne strike back?"

"She won't," Emily sadly replied. "I failed, Nolan."

"So you had a temporary set back," Nolan excused. "You'll find another way to finish this."

"No, I won't," Emily resolved, becoming mildly defiant. "I don't want to anymore... I'm going to divorce Daniel and leave the Hamptons once and for all."

Nolan sat back a bit in puzzlement at her unexpected reply. "Wait – does this mean you're going away with Aiden?"

"No," She breathed, pursing her lips regretfully. "Aiden's gone."

"What? Just like that? No goodbye?" Nolan could not help feeling slightly wounded. Though an unlikely pairing, he had developed a friendship with the Englishmen whose absence would now most definitely be missed.

"I convinced him to go... I think he finally realized that I have nothing left to give him."

"But Ems, you do," Nolan fervently insisted. She could not be giving up, not after all of this. They had worked so hard to take down the Graysons and all who had wronged her father. Besides, Nolan knew firsthand how much Aiden loved Emily, the sacrifices he had made on her behalf.

Emily was well aware of those sacrifices as well which stirred more feelings of regret in her heart. "I'm not the same person I was when I agreed to marry him."

"So postpone your happily ever after, don't cancel it."

She shook her head in disagreement, new tears brimming in her eyes. "I'm Amanda Clarke. I truly know that now. But it's like... I remember my cause, my purpose, but... it doesn't feel the same anymore." She shrugged as if trying to make sense of the matter. "I've spent so many years avenging a father I barely knew, one that's never coming back to me." Emily wiped the stray tears from her cheeks, feeling defeated.

"David's not coming back, but you still need to clear his name," Nolan encouraged. "You need to finish what you came here to do."

"But my plans have hurt good people," Emily remorsefully countered with a furrowed brow. "I've hurt Aiden. Amanda lost her life... and I robbed Jack of his wife... And look what I've done to Daniel."

While he could certainly understand Emily's crisis of conscience over the former, he could not condone the latter. Nolan's expression fell defensively. "Ems, don't forget what he's done to you."

Emily paused in consideration, though she had already come to terms in her time of reflection. "As angry as I've been with him, I have to admit deep down... this is my fault," She whispered, glancing over at her best friend. Her resolution had silenced Nolan's rebuttal for the moment, and he waited patiently for her to finish. "I took this...really beautiful guy...and I manipulated him...and stole his hope...and turned him into a man...capable of shooting his own wife."

Sitting in his office with the door closed and blinds drawn was Daniel's standard mode of operation these days. Its symbolism catered to his depressed state of mind and allowed him the solitude he had come to crave. So when there was a light knock against the picture – framed glass of the door, Daniel took little interest in finding out who stood on the other side. The visitor was not likely to go away though, probably one of the peppy young women Margaux had hired to work long hours on the magazine layout. "Come in," Daniel called in an un-welcoming tone, as if to warn whoever dared to enter best have a worthy reason for disturbing him. But he was soon startled to realize his visitor was Emily, and upon seeing her, Daniel abruptly sat up in his chair and began self-consciously straightening his tie.

Emily discreetly closed the door behind her while Daniel rose from his seat, noticing she was impeccably dressed for the occasion in a sophisticated black wrap dress and heels. In her right hand, she held a folder as well as a slender purse, and though it had only been mere weeks since he last laid eyes on her, Daniel felt like it had been months. In an instant, all the previous convincing he forced himself to accept since their separation, notions of their reunion having been just another fantasy, an illusion he had created in his own mind, now quickly dissipated.

Daniel knew he needed to let Emily go, but how could he when all it took was one look at the beautifully defined features of her face to remind him of how he had loved her, how he still loved her? For all the hatred he once felt, his love for her had prevailed, and now that hatred was a distant memory. The only emotion overshadowing Daniel's love for Emily was the guilt he suffered daily for his sins, an inescapable gnawing at his mind that threatened to consume him at times.

"Emily -" Daniel nervously greeted, trying to recover from her unexpected visit. "I... I wasn't expecting to see you."

"Hello, Daniel." Emily's voice was soft as she spoke, but her eyes did not betray her feelings one way or the other. "I know our attorneys advised us not to speak, but I figured we were capable of discussing this like civilized adults."

Daniel nodded, not really caring why she had chosen to visit. It just felt good to be near her again. "Of course."

Emily set a manila folder down on his desk then, and Daniel realized what she had been clutching in her hand was their divorce settlement. "I can't sign this," She stated, shaking her head. "You're giving me too much money."

No amount of money could ever take away the fact he had nearly killed her with two gunshots, nor the fact those bullets scarred her body so terribly that she would never be able to bare children of her own, and Daniel was well aware of both. But if Emily were not going to allow him the opportunity to make some of it up to her, monetary recompense seemed to be his only alternative. Emily recognized, and even appreciated, the generous gesture Daniel was extending, but she did not care about the money. She never had.

"I want you to have it. You deserve it," Daniel quietly insisted, his sincere eyes boring into her.

Emily averted from his penetrating gaze, drawing a breath. The truth was, she was no longer angry with Daniel. In their weeks apart, she had of course remembered the entirety of her past, an extremely painful experience emotionally, and more than she ever wanted to admit to him. "No amount of money is going to fix this between us, Daniel," Emily resolved, keeping her eyes downward. If she looked him in the eye again now, he might catch a glimpse of her wavering conviction.

"Let's not sign it at all... and not because of the money, but because we don't want to get a divorce," Daniel suggested in a last attempt to change her mind. The fact that he still wanted to change her mind, troubled Emily moreso. The truth he had discovered about her the night of their wedding merely skimmed the surface. Now knowing the depth of what she had been hiding from him, Emily decided she simply did not deserve another chance with Daniel. No matter what his transgressions were, she felt her own ran deeper, and Daniel didn't even realize it. "Emily, please..." His voice almost sounded pitiful as he urged her to make eye contact. Hesitantly, Emily complied and felt her breath catch in her throat at the sight of Daniel's pleading eyes searching her own for a sign of hope. "Just give me a chance to make this right."

"You can't," She softly dismissed, giving her head a tiny shake.

"Please," Daniel breathed, nearly begging. He could not worry about pride or sounding weak. The thought of spending the rest of his life without her was of far greater consequence. "You know I love you."

"It's over," Emily quickly whispered, her expression strained as tears threatened. "I'm sorry."

Daniel himself was fighting back tears and released a long, silent breath, nodding his head in defeat. In a moment, Emily would be gone again, leaving him to live with what he thought were solely the repercussions of his actions. Unbeknownst to Daniel though, Emily was leaving as a final act of love in order to protect him from the further damages she would likely inflict. Somewhere along the way, her feelings for him had grown to be genuine. Maybe it occurred in their short time together when innocence was possible again due to her memory loss, or maybe those feelings had actually be there all along, but Emily had denied and buried them beyond recognition at the time. Regardless, she did deeply care for Daniel now and was no longer willing to risk his well-being.

"You keep your assets, and I'll keep mine," Emily gently countered, collecting the paperwork and tucking it under her arm. "That's fair, right?"

Unable to speak, Daniel barely nodded in reply, bowing his head. Emily paused, wondering if she should make her exit now or stay. Leaving would certainly be the wisest move, but she felt compelled to share more with her soon to be ex-husband who was clearly deflated from the finality of their situation. "Daniel... I want you to know... that I remember now... I remember everything." He looked up at her sharply in surprise, though he had suspected it was only a matter of time before Emily's memory fully returned. She frowned in thought, remorsefully adding, "And I'm genuinely sorry that I hurt you."

Daniel shook his head, dismissing her lies as though they had been insignificant. "It's nothing compared to what I've done to you." But it was so much more than he realized, and that is why Emily knew she needed to completely release him from her web.

"I've decided to leave the Hamptons," Emily quietly announced, startling him again. "I'm going to keep the beach house for now, but... I don't think I'll be back. I just think I need to start over."

"I understand," Daniel forced, bobbing his head for punctuation.

Emily paused again, telling herself she really needed to leave now, but struggling to say goodbye. This was it. Their divorce settlement would be amended. They would sign separately and she would have no reason to see Daniel again. When the realization struck her, it pulled at her heartstrings which Emily was not prepared for or accustomed. Normally, she could rely on her ability to compartmentalize her feelings, but it was failing her now. It occurred to her then that perhaps the cause of her uncharacteristic reaction towards Daniel was, indeed, the result of their special time shared together. Because for those few precious weeks unmarred by the scars of her past, false as they might have been, Emily was happy in a way she had not experienced since childhood.

Emily stared a Daniel for a moment, thinking of the gift he had unknowingly given her. She had not intended to exhibit any weakness of her own in his presence, but she was unable to resist now that their final moments together arrived. Rounding the desk, she moved to stand only inches from him, the closest they had been in weeks. Daniel could smell the sweet scent of Emily's perfume, feel the warmth being emitted from her skin. He watched her intently as she lifted her slender hand to lightly caress his cheek, finding her affection a pleasant reprieve. "Take care, Daniel." Emily bid, her voice almost inaudible.

Instinctively, Daniel mirrored her motion and brought his hand to her cheek as well while wrapping his fingers around the wrist of her hand that still held his face. Emily closed her eyes at his touch, reaching deep within herself to find the strength to walk away. But before she could retreat, Daniel seized the opportunity of their proximity and tenderly pressed his lips against her own in a pensive motion. He knew he was pushing his luck though and warily pulled back a moment later. Emily's eyes were wide open now, her breathing hitched as she contemplated her response. With her senses aroused and clouding her judgment, and also to Daniel's sheer relief, Emily suddenly captured his lips in her own again, coiling her arms around him aggressively.

In turn, he responsively braced the back of her head with his hands, threading his fingers into her wavy tresses with equal aggression. Emily moaned into his mouth as Daniel gently gripped her hair and was soon guiding her neck backwards in order to trail his warms lips down its hollow. Willingly she allowed it, inwardly rationalizing she had to be with him just one last time, had to feel his love and lust covering every inch of her body in a way that only he could. Daniel felt Emily fumbling with his tie, followed by the buttons of his shirt and smiled against her collarbone. She then began unclasping his belt too, and Daniel could not believe Emily was actually encouraging this, but whatever her reasoning, he was not about to argue it.

He was feverishly trying to rid her clothing as well, and when his fingers gratefully found the looped fabric holding her dress together at her hipbone, he tugged it loose until it hung open at her sides, revealing the black slip she wore underneath. Slipping his hands between the soft layers of fabric, Daniel lowered Emily's body backwards on his desk, shoving various paperwork and reports to the floor in the process. Lifting his head from the nape of her neck, Daniel could now see Emily's cheeks flushed with desire, another sign she was welcoming what was impulsively transpiring between them. Nevertheless, Daniel had not forgotten her instant regret from last time, how she had harshly recoiled and left. "You sure you want to do this?" He whispered with a pounding heart, his breathing jagged.

"Don't stop," Emily breathed into his mouth, wanting him so desperately it was frightening. What was wrong with her? She had come to Voulez to seek resolution, not to give into her own fleshly desires. She gasped when Daniel granted her wish and dug her fingers into his back, reflectively arching her body upwards.

"I've missed you," Daniel groaned into Emily's ear, relishing the sensation of being one with her again and soaking in every inch of the smooth curvatures of her figure under his touch. Desperately, they devoured the other in hungry passion, and the idea that someone could walk in on them at any moment, only intensified their climatic interlude. And when it ended, Daniel did not move for a time, knowing as soon as he did, it would all be over. Emily was still his for a few more stolen seconds, and as he untangled his hands from her hair, Daniel brought them down to frame her face as he kissed her lips, then her forehead, then her lips again. "God, I love you," Daniel breathed, searching her eyes. Thankfully, they were still soft, vulnerable even. "And I know you still love me."

"Daniel -" Emily closed her eyes. She began sitting up then, pushing his body away from her own. "It doesn't matter how I feel. Nothing's changed," She resolved, closing her dress.

"It's all that matters, Emily," Daniel insisted, haphazardly dressing as well. "How can you be with me like that just now and act like there's not a chance for us?"

"Because there isn't." She sighed, shutting her eyes. "This...what just happened... it was the last time, a goodbye."

Daniel's heart sunk at Emily's words, at how quickly she seemed to be able to shut off her feelings. But this was the real Emily, the one he actually knew. He had to keep telling himself this. "Em, please be reasonable."

"I am being reasonable...More than you'll ever know." She looked at him squarely with sorrow. "I can't hide behind my memory loss anymore, Daniel. I remember every bit of who I am, and guess what? It's not pretty." Emily stepped closer to him, lowering her voice. "You were right that night in the cabin when you said you didn't know me." She shrugged, shaking her head. "Because you don't. And trust me, if you did... you wouldn't still want to be with me." There was a part of her who wanted to scream her real identity, to make Daniel understand the brevity of what was at stake, but self-preservation stopped her. Emily had already said too much as it was, much more than she typically would have allowed, and for what reason, she was not certain.

Daniel shook his head in frustration. "I don't know what you're talking about, but you haven't even given me the chance to find out and choose for myself." He supposed if Emily were capable of faking a pregnancy, she was capable of much worse, but he almost preferred to remain ignorant.

"You may not understand this... but I'm ending this because I do love you." Emily leaned forward to kiss Daniel once more with longing, a longing he both sensed and reciprocated. She retreated then, leaving him to stand slightly ajar from everything that had just occurred. Daniel stared at her with a pained expression as Emily gathered her belongings and started walking towards the door. "And for what's it's worth," She added, stopping and glancing over her shoulder to capture a final image of him. "For all the bad things I remembered... some of the best moments I remembered were the memories I made with you."

Another A/N: All righty, I tried to make up for the harsh ending of the previous chapter. I hope you enjoyed the Demily exchange as bittersweet as it might have been. My goal was for it to be mushy, but also keeping in mind they have much to work through yet.

Emily may have resigned herself to leaving the Hamptons, but we all know she can't leave with unfinished business. ;) So, what are your thoughts? Do you like the remorseful version of Emily, or do you want to see her return in full force? Are you glad Aiden has made an exit? Anything you want to see happen in the following chapters? Your feedback would be greatly appreciated as always.

Soooo... tomorrow night marks the finale of Revenge, and I'm so sad to see it come to an end. :( Thank goodness for fanfiction. Just because the show is ending, does not mean I will stop loving it or wanting to write about it. I hope you will still want to read about it as well.

Thank you so much for being my "Revenge" family. :)

Much love,

Only Hope-7 xoxo