A/N: Happy Easter, friends! My sincere apologies for the ridiculously long delay in this update. If any of you are still interested in this story, it is my sincere hope you will find this installment a pleasing read and reward for your abundant patience.
Side note, I know the title "Forgiveness" was already used in S2 on the show, but I found it to be the most appropriate for this chapter, and so I decided to recycle it. :)
Chapter Twelve: Forgiveness
They say forgiveness is to cease to feel resentment against an offender; to pardon one's enemies. Forgiveness is not often given freely, but it is quite possibly the greatest gift granted to a recipient as well as the one extending grace in the first place. For it does not mean we must act as though the incident never occurred, but demands that we forever act as though the offense did occur and that we chose to forgive the person.
With this humbling thought in mind and in the silence of the darkened bedroom, Emily trailed her fingers along Daniel's forearm curled around her chest from behind. Since the bedroom furnishings had already been auctioned, all that remained were two stacked mattresses on the floor where they were presently lying intertwined in the sheets. "Hey... " Daniel rasped, hovering above her ear. "What're you thinking about?"
Emily looked over her shoulder at him with a smirk, continuing to run her fingertips against his arm. "That I'm really glad you at least kept these mattresses." Daniel laughed under his breath at the reference. "It reminds me of my days in Japan."
Instantly intrigued, Daniel propped himself up by his elbow. "Are you referring to your recent trip?"
"No... the time I spent time there years ago training under... Takeda." Emily glanced over her shoulder again to find Daniel had raised an inquisitive brow. "Another story for another day," She gently added, smirking again.
Daniel released a breath, shaking his head. "I think it may take years for me to learn everything about you."
"Well... we have nothing but time," Emily presumed, staring up at him with sincerity. "Assuming you meant what you said earlier?"
"I did," Daniel affirmed without pause, grazing her cheek with his palm. Just as in days gone by, being with Emily filled Daniel in a way he could not even put into words, and he knew in his heart it was the very reason he was willing to defy logic in order to move forward with her now. "I want to be with you."
Emily smiled through her brown eyes, rolling over to completely face him. Daniel met her with another kiss, instinctively pulling her body closer while shifting his own above from the side. Emily soon drew back slightly though, placing her index finger to his lower lip. "Hold that thought," She requested, gingerly retreating from the bed. "Your son is pressing on my bladder."
Daniel grinned as she cast a wink at him, his eyes following her descending figure towards the bathroom. Falling on his back, he continued to smile at the ceiling. Maybe he was crazy, but he hadn't felt this good, this happy, in months.
"Hey, is there anything left to eat in the refrigerator?" Emily called out a moment later in a slightly elevated octave.
"Uhh..." Daniel sat up while pinching his fingers against his forehead, trying to recall the last time he had even opened it in his regressed state of bachelorhood. "That would be a negative," He regretfully replied, loudly enough so she could hear. "But what sounds good? I'll get you anything you want."
Emily returned to the bedroom then and gracefully maneuvered her encumbered body downwards to retrieve Daniel's discarded button-down shirt from the floor. "Mmm... maybe we could order Chinese?" She suggested, slipping it on to partially cover herself.
"Sounds good," Daniel agreed, reaching for his cell phone still wedged in the pocket of his pants which were also haphazardly thrown on the floor. "Same thing always?"
"Please." Emily joined him in the bed again, nestling herself as close to his back as her protruding belly would allow before feathering her lips against his bare shoulder. Daniel blindly lifted his hand to her hair, caressing her cheek with his palm while he placed their repetitive order as if no time had passed. Emily smiled to herself, inwardly noting he had remembered it perfectly. "How long?" Emily questioned when Daniel ended the call.
Setting his phone on the nightstand, he turned over to face her. "Thirty minutes."
"Mm," Emily murmured, arching an insinuating brow. "Well then, that gives us plenty of time."
When their takeout order arrived, Daniel opted to bring it upstairs and make the bed their table. It felt refreshing to be temporarily careless with Emily, to see her often staunch demeanor truly relax against the pillows as she sat still wearing only his shirt. In turn, Daniel was laying horizontally across the foot of the bed with his weight resting against his elbow while they both plowed through the various white cardboard boxes with chopsticks over casual conversation.
The sound of Emily's occasional light laughter at Daniel's poor jokes was sweet music to his ears, and he found himself wishing it could always be this way between them, that all the woes of the past and fears of the future could be pushed to the side, or better yet, buried. It was easier not to think about any of it, not to face all his haunting questions and simply be with her.
Emily too, was enjoying her peaceful time with Daniel. It was a much needed respite from her burdening concerns over her father and never-ending planning for what might be to come. She had secretly hoped the day would arrive when they could be together again as they were now, and though much remained unresolved between them, she was grateful for Daniel's willingness to give her another chance and what that also meant for the future of their unborn child.
"I still hope you're not planning on becoming a comedian," She jabbed at yet another lame joke, paying homage to their first date. Daniel playfully scrunched his face, grabbing at her foot for a tickle. Chuckling, Emily quickly withdrew it in reflex as her phone began to ring on the nightstand. "It's Nolan," She identified aloud for Daniel's benefit, answering it. "Hey."
"Ems," Nolan huffed in relief, running a hand through his spiked hair from the other side of the phone. "Listen, I know you are basically the last person who needs any supervision, but... being that you are times two right now, I was getting a little worried about you."
"I'm sorry to worry you," Emily apologized in an amused tone, eying Daniel. "I'm fine... but I won't be home tonight."
Nolan's hand dropped to his side in realization. "Wait – are you with Daniel?"
"Mmm -" Emily confirmed, sharing an insinuating smile with her counterpart across the bed.
"Things are going that well then?"
Emily could practically hear Nolan's mouth curling on the other end of the phone and rolled her eyes. "Good night, Nolan." She ended the call with a shake of her head, returning her phone to the nightstand.
"Hey, how come you've been living with Nolan instead of the beach house with your dad?" Daniel curiously questioned.
"Because your mother has been staying there with him." Based on his mildly surprised expression, it was clear this was the first Daniel had heard of it. Emily cocked her head. "You didn't know?"
He sighed. "I haven't spoken with her since she found out you were pregnant. I hoped she had enough shame to return to the city, but I should have known otherwise..." Daniel trailed, pondering. "Doesn't your dad know that she betrayed him all those years ago?"
"He's fully aware." Emily sighed as well, recalling the conversation she had shared with David earlier in the week. "But Victoria doesn't realize it yet. He says he has a plan, but... he won't tell me what it is."
Daniel narrowed his brow. "That sounds rather ominous."
"That's what worries me."
"You don't think... he'd hurt her, do you?"
Emily shook her head, contemplating. "I don't know." She looked over at him, honestly at a loss.
A slow chill ran down Daniel's spine prompting him to swallow purposefully before clearing his throat. "Have you been able to determine where he's been the last ten years?"
Emily reflected on her father's ambiguous answer when she asked the same question the week prior. "Only that he was being held against his will. He won't give me a name... says he's protecting me by keeping me in the dark."
"He probably is," Daniel agreed, mulling over the potential ramifications of the unsettling information.
"Yeah, but if there's still a threat, then I need to know everything." Of course, Daniel had only begun to know the extent of Emily's abilities, but the glimmering determination in her eyes now reminded him of her ever-present underlying strength. Emily lowered her chin, clearly troubled by her lack of control in the situation. "I just haven't been able to convince him that keeping me in the dark... is the most dangerous of all."
In the early morning hours, Emily's phone began to ring again. Sleepily fumbling for it from under the covers, Emily groggily answered the unexpected call from their sister as Daniel stirred beside her. "Charlotte?...Wa—wait, slow down." Emily sat up, becoming fully coherent in a matter of seconds at her frantic rambling on the other end. "Okay, okay... I'll be right there."
"What's wrong?" Daniel questioned, sitting up as well to rub his face with his hands.
Emily heaved a sigh while throwing back the covers. "Charlotte's in trouble."
"Where is he?" Emily solemnly questioned when Charlotte cracked the door of the rundown apartment.
Charlotte's eyes widened in alarm at seeing Daniel standing behind her. "What's he doing here?"
"I was with her when she got the call," Daniel defensively replied, frustrated by the dire situation his sister had placed herself.
Under normal circumstances, Charlotte would have given more attention to the reference of Daniel and Emily being together, but it seemed insignificant at the present time. Without further hesitation, she fully opened the door so that they could advance inside.
"His neck's broken," Emily deduced less than a minute later after crouching beside the deceased splayed on the kitchen floor. "Why didn't you call the police?"
"I was going to. I was dialing them, but then, I didn't know what to make of all this," Charlotte explained, still rattled from the morning's events. She turned on her heels to retrieve the incriminating file she had unearthed in the desk drawer. Daniel helped Emily to her feet before they both joined Charlotte at the desk across the small room.
Emily carefully examined the various newspaper clippings regarding her father's conviction, the Grayson conspiracy and Conrad's incarceration. But what struck her the most notably, was a recent surveillance photo taken of David walking a random street. "He called me bate," Charlotte continued. "He was using me to get to our father, but why? Why would anyone want to hurt him?"
Emily did not react, only silently processed the information as Daniel loomed over her shoulder, drawing his own conclusions. "I should have just called the police," Charlotte fretted, moving towards the lifeless body again. "I called you as a last resort, but he's our dad." She stopped, turning to face them again to address Emily. "And I thought after everything you've done to me, to our family – I thought maybe you could help." Charlotte glanced at Daniel, uncertain whether she would find agreement or disapproval in his eyes, but it was clearly the latter.
But if Charlotte's stinging words bothered her, Emily did not let on. In truth, she did not particularly care at the moment, and of course, had long ago built up defenses to cutting remarks. "Based on this file, it looks like he was one of the remaining Flight 197 fanatics who doubted David's innocence," She smoothly lied, setting down the manila folder. "This guy deserved what he got." Emily pivoted towards them, raising her brow at Charlotte. "What drugs were you doing?"
Charlotte lifted her shoulders into a shrug. "We were just drinking... maybe doing a little coke. He offered me heroine, but I don't -"
"Perfect," Emily concluded before Charlotte could finish, cutting her eyes to Daniel. "We're gonna need it."
"What do you have in mind?" He warily questioned, narrowing his own eyes.
Emily made slow strides to the kitchen counter where she had left the backpack she brought along, observing the deceased again as well as the area surrounding him. She paused only briefly in assessment, and then unzipped the backpack to produce two extra pairs of black gloves to match those she herself was wearing. "He shot up. Shortly after realizing he'd had too much, he stumbled over here in an attempt to call 911... But before he could, he collapsed, breaking his neck when he fell," She calmly stated as if it were the truth, handing over the gloves. "Am I missing anything?"
Charlotte blinked quickly, reeling from Emily's clever and prompt fabrication. "I... I cut him with the bottle." She pointed to the bloodied laceration on his hand.
"No. When he fell, he swiped the counter," Emily corrected, sweeping the edge of the counter surface with her own hand in a fluid motion towards the floor. "Bottle broke – cut his hand."
Dumbfounded, Charlotte began shaking her head, staring at her sister as she skillfully filled the syringe with the lethal drug conveniently left in the kitchen. "I can't imagine what it's like being you. I mean, I know this was a mistake... but I'm not a cold-blooded killer."
"Charlotte -" Daniel chided, coming to Emily's defense, though he did secretly fear the acts she might have once committed in the name of revenge. In truth, he was mildly mystified by the ease at which Emily was handling the present situation, but recognized he really should not be surprised.
"I've never killed anyone, Charlotte," Emily somberly retorted, looking up from her task. "I know you hate me for the things that I've done, but... I've never done that."
"No, that would be our mother," Daniel muttered, catching them both off guard.
Charlotte furrowed her brow. "What are you talking about?"
He sighed, wondering if it were a wise idea to exploit the secret. Then again, what was the point in hiding it now? "Her name was Helen Crowley. She was a Grayson Global investor, but more so, a member of Americon Initiative. Mom saw her as a threat, and shot her in cold blood."
"How do you know this?" Charlotte asked, folding her arms.
"Because Dad and I helped dispose of her body... Kind of like I'm doing now. " Daniel began moving towards Emily, locking eyes with her. "What do you want me to do?"
"I'm going to inject him, and then we need circulate his blood."
Charlotte stood somewhat aghast, appalled both by Daniel's latest admission regarding their mother and the fact he and Emily were now proceeding as if this were business as usual. Obviously, Emily was in a league all her own when it came to such things and Daniel had been forced to build up his tolerance over time. Charlotte on the hand, felt the vile rising in her throat at the sight of Emily injecting the needle into her one night stand's vein with precision. "I'm going to be sick."
"A little help, Charlotte?" Daniel beckoned over his shoulder, as he leaned his weight forward onto the body and moved his hands in circular motions.
"How can you two be so callous about this?"
Annoyed by her rebuttal, Daniel stopped and sat back on his heels before springing himself upwards while Emily immediately took over his role. Daniel started in on Charlotte, his assigned task temporarily forgotten. "You know, I've always given you the benefit of the doubt because our parents did you no favors by protecting you with lies... and neither did I. But you're too old for excuses, Charlotte. It's time you own your bad choices," Daniel reprimanded, pointing towards the floor. "That could have easily been you lying there."
Charlotte cast him a scathing glare, lowering her chin. "Can you please save the lecture for later?"
"You called your pregnant sister to come over here to tend to a dead body!"
Emily glanced up at this, continuing to mimic circulation. Charlotte scoffed. "I cannot believe you're defending her in any way after everything she's done!"
"You only called her because you wanted someone to come and save you!" Daniel bellowed back, striking a nerve. Seeing Charlotte shrink slightly at his words, he continued in a gentler tone. "But she can't do that... and neither can I... You've hit rock bottom, Charlotte. Only you can pull yourself out."
"Hey," Emily greeted Daniel softly at the front door of Nolan's home that evening, inviting him inside. Daniel acknowledged with a pensive smile as he entered the premises, somewhat uncertain where they stood after the morning's events. "You hungry?" Emily asked in an attempt to ignore the underlying awkwardness between them, immediately leading him to the kitchen to tend to the dinner in progress. "I think I've cooked too much food."
"I'm starving," Daniel affirmed with a suspicious glint to her back since she had conveniently busied herself by stirring one of the pots on the stove. He took a seat on one of the counter stools. "Is Nolan here?"
"He's out taking care of something for me," Emily downplayed, hoping Daniel would leave it be. While she did not want to go back on their agreement of honesty from the night prior, she felt the need to proceed cautiously given the uncertainty of her father's safety.
"I bet he is," Daniel laughed under his breath, giving the room a sweep with his eyes. "You know, I remember when you bought this place for him, I couldn't... understand... why you'd felt the need for such a grand gift." He instantly recalled their ensuing argument at the beach house after Victoria had revealed the revelation to him, the fact she had caught him off guard angering him more than anything. Daniel's eyes settled on Emily's slender figure ahead with quiet certainty. "Now I do."
Emily halted her task, setting down the wooden spoon on the awaiting ladle and calmly faced him without defense. "I could never repay Nolan for all that he's done for me." Daniel noticed the hint of sadness in her tone, implying she regretted Nolan's loyalty on some level, and he could only suppose it was because of the sacrifices he must have made on her behalf.
"I keep thinking about what you did for Charlotte this morning," Daniel bridged, pausing to take Emily fully in again, observing how the subtle kitchen lighting seemed to accentuate the beauty of her distinct features all the more. Time and time again, he found himself overwhelmed by his attraction to her, and it did not seem to matter what she had done, or how he wished he could trust without hindrance. "It reminded me again of... just how much I don't know about you... and it scares me."
Emily had suspected as much. It was the driving force behind her tentativeness tonight, causing her to wonder if Daniel really were prepared to give her another chance after witnessing such an example of her true self hours before. But she was who she was, dark at times and calculatingly reactive. Emily would not have blamed him if it all were simply too much. "You know me, Daniel," Emily assured with an admiring gaze, thinking how especially close they'd become when she lost her memory. "You just don't know all of me."
He supposed it was true, or at least very much hoped it was. Daniel bobbed his head, clasping his hands on the kitchen island. "Are you going to really let me know all of you, Emily?" He gently countered, squinting up at her. "Because you promised me no more lies."
She swallowed purposefully, lowering her head with a slight tilt. "No more lies."
"Okay," Daniel breathed. "Then tell me the truth. This morning… when you told Charlotte that guy was probably a remaining Flight 197 fanatic... is that who you really think he was?"
Emily wet her lower lip with a slip of her tongue, growing uneasy at the direction of the conversation. "No," She finally answered, formulating. "I think there's more to it."
Daniel nodded. "That's what I thought. And I'm assuming whatever Nolan is taking care of for you right now, has to do with whatever you think it is?"
"Daniel, look... I don't want to involve you until I know the extent of what we're dealing with -"
He sat back at her typical vagueness, becoming frustrated. "How can you even try to put me off right now?" Emily ducked her eyes as Daniel leaned forward again, pressing his index finger downward for emphasis. "Em... we have to be in this together from now on... no matter what... or else it isn't going to work." Her eyes returned to his at this. He was right, of course. And wasn't this what she had secretly wanted, for them to reunite? "Look, I know that trust is a two-way street, and that I do not have the best track record," Daniel acknowledged in a softened tone, re-purposing. "But I promise you I would never do anything to hurt you or your dad."
"I know that," Emily whispered, staring back at him. "I'm the one who hasn't earned trust."
"I didn't say that -"
"You didn't have to." She frowned, sighing. Lifting her hands to rest at her lower back, she looked down to the floor in contemplation. What was it about sharing the truth she feared so much? Perhaps it was her incessant need to control any situation from every angle, especially when it came to her father.
There was another life to consider now though, the precious one within. And with that thought, Emily looked up in resolution at the father of her child. Daniel was waiting patiently for her to continue, his eyes urging her to believe it was safe to take the risk on him despite her instincts telling her otherwise. "I think that guy was... working for the person who held my father prisoner all those years."
Intrigued, Daniel raised his brow slightly as Emily released a heavy breath. "I went to see my father earlier to tell him what I'd uncovered this morning, but... he wasn't home... and neither was your mother. So... I took the opportunity to do a little digging, and I found a small key in one of my former hiding places... Anyway, Nolan located the safety deposit box it belongs to in the city, and normally I would have gone to investigate the contents myself, but... I'm making efforts to take it easier these days... so he's gone in my place."
Her reference to the baby elicited a smile from Daniel, mostly because he was proud of Emily for exercising restraint when he knew her tendency was to do just the opposite. He shook his head, a bit incredulous as he digested her insights of the precarious circumstances surrounding David. What was seemingly business as usual for Emily, was fresh to Daniel, and he could only imagine the plans she and Nolan had previously enacted together. Even still, he could not help being impressed by her tenacity.
Hearing the sounds of boiling water nearly bubbling over, Emily momentarily turned from Daniel again then to shut off the gas burner. Daniel observed her with fondness from behind, having a new-found admiration of her calm complexities for what they really were, mystifying and challenging. "I thought you'd be at the Manor when I got home from work," He commented, changing the subject.
Thankful for the reprieve, Emily returned to him with an arched brow. "I thought that might seem a little presumptuous."
Daniel laughed under his breath. "I think the fact that you bought it, means you can do whatever you want."
"I suppose I could live in another wing for weeks and you wouldn't even know it," Emily lightly joked, garnishing a small smile from Daniel.
His eyes fell in thought. "I don't want you to live in another wing... I want you to live next to me." He looked up at the end of his sentence with tender eyes to match his plea. Daniel leaned forward, palming his hand upwards on the kitchen island. "Come here," He gently beckoned to which Emily complied without hesitation, rounding the corner to fall in at his side. Daniel immediately placed his hand to her stomach for a loving touch, his eyes never leaving her own. "We were always good at living together."
Amused, Emily bit her lower lip. "Yes, we were." Their ease of companionship was actually one of the only areas neither had ever failed the other.
"I'm serious, Em." Daniel's smile faded, his eyes purposeful as Emily covered his hand with own. "We're having a baby. I want to be with you... I want us to be together."
"Are you sure that's what you really want?" She intently searched. "I know what you said last night, but... after today, I... I can understand if you feel differently."
"Today didn't change how I feel about you." Daniel paused, gaining his nerve. "I love you."
Emily pinched her brow, moved by his emotional generosity. "I love you, too."
Daniel rose then to wrap her into an embrace, kissing her temple as his arms enveloped her. "I'll help you pack after dinner."
When Daniel returned to Manor alone since Emily had stayed back to wait for Nolan, he found Charlotte patiently waiting for him on the porch stoop. With her hands clasped in her lap, she had taken on a different persona than the young woman he had seen that morning, her countenance now calm and collected in determination. "Charlotte?" Daniel shut the car door, rounding the front of the vehicle towards her. "I've been trying to reach you."
"Sorry, I was with Mom," She explained as he took a seat beside her on the steps.
"Then I'm the one who's sorry," Daniel jested, nudging her with his shoulder. Charlotte's mouth puckered in the corner at this, though her eyes remained downcast. "You okay? I know I was pretty hard on you this morning."
"Yes, you were," Charlotte agreed, glancing over at him. "But you were right... It's time I start taking ownership of my actions... which is why... I've decided to check myself into rehab tonight."
Daniel lifted his brow, pleasantly surprised by her decision. "Are you going back to Cliffside?"
"No, to a facility in San Francisco. I think I need distance if I'm truly going to recover. And I need to be as far away from Mom as possible... and Emily."
"Charlotte... I know Emily hurt you -"
"Emily hurt you too," She pointedly interjected before he could even begin his defense of their shared sibling.
"Yes, she did," Daniel allowed, for there really was no denying it. After all, he was still coming to terms with everything himself. "But I hurt her too." He drew a breath, preparing for his second confession of the day. If Charlotte were truly ready to take hold of her life, then he needed to be as well. "I'm the one who shot her last year."
Charlotte's eyes widened. "You?" She shook her head, not understanding. "Why?"
"I found out she wasn't actually pregnant... that she'd just told me she was so I wouldn't back out of the wedding. I overheard her admitting it to Mom on the deck that night." Daniel closed his eyes at the painful recollection of what would forever be the worst moments of his life. "I was drunk out of mind, and I thought Sarah had tried to commit suicide. I was so enraged... I -" He sighed, turning to Charlotte. "I'll never get over what I did."
Though reprehensible, Charlotte did her best to take the news in stride. She was no saint either, and considering the day she'd experienced, she felt little room to judge, not to mention the fact she was grappling with her own anger towards Emily. "Daniel, I had no idea. I'm so sorry."
Daniel couldn't bear the look of undeserved sympathy reflecting in her eyes. As wrong as Emily had been, his near fatal transgression far out-weighed her lie on the balance scales. Maybe it was why he was willing to forgive her easily this time around and accept her betrayal for what it was, something much bigger than either one of them.
Reminiscent, Daniel looked out into darkness, glimpses of the weeks that followed his grave error filling his mind. "And then she woke up, you know, and... she couldn't remember anything... And she would look at me so innocently, so... desperate for answers."
"So that's why you didn't want to spend time with her," Charlotte surmised.
Daniel nodded to himself. "I was so guilty... I couldn't hardly stand to be around her. And yet I was still so angry at her for lying to me." He glanced back over at Charlotte with an upturn of his lips. "And then my wise sister reminded me that we'd been given a chance to fall in love again."
Charlotte laughed through her nose, feeling foolish for her naive encouragement. "If I had known what was really going on, I wouldn't have said something so dumb."
"It was the best advice you could have given me," Daniel quietly assured, remembering how special of a time he and Emily shared in Colorado. "I did fall in love with her again. I guess I really never stopped being in love with her."
"Even now? Even if she's a different person than you thought she was?"
"I know what it's like to live without her. And I don't want to." Daniel shrugged, finding his complicated feelings difficult to explain. He furrowed his brow. "Besides, don't you want to get to know her for who she truly is?"
Charlotte shrugged as well, shaking her head again. "I don't know. When I think of what she's done -"
"Emily forced us to face who we really are, Charlotte. And you know what? I'm grateful because it means I can't hide anymore... I don't want to hide anymore."
Charlotte considered the notion briefly and then slowly looked at Daniel in resolution. "Neither do I."
His mouth curved into a proud smile to which she mirrored as thunder rumbled in the distance. "Storm's rolling in," Daniel observed, looking up at the sky. "Hope your plane isn't delayed."
Charlotte retrieved her phone from her purse to check the flight status, reporting a moment later that it was still showing to be on time. "Which means I should get going."
Daniel's eyes traveled upwards as she rose to her feet. "Can you wait a few minutes? Emily should be here soon."
"I'd rather not say goodbye to her." Daniel stood then as well, cautioning her with his eyes. "After I get clean, I'll face her," Charlotte amended, giving him a long hug. "I just can't right now."
Daniel did not speak as she walked to her awaiting car and driver, only obliged with a brotherly smile of encouragement as Charlotte looked at him one more time before climbing into the backseat of the sleek vehicle. He retired inside after the car drove away, expecting Emily to be arriving soon. Unbeknownst to Daniel though, she was being further detained by Nolan's latest findings. Having returned home with the only item he found of possible value in the safety deposit box, a seemingly insignificant flash drive, they soon discovered it to be quite the opposite.
"Victoria, get the hell out!" Emily commanded, storming through the back doors of the beach house with no regard for the fact she was disrupting her father and nemesis in a romantic moment on the sofa. They both stood in response.
"I'm not going anywhere," Victoria smugly replied while David moved between them as the symbolic mediator. He had no idea what had caused his daughter's sudden outburst, but it was apparent from her frenzied eyes that they needed to speak privately.
"Victoria, please," David placated, pleading with her to concede. Not one to deny him much of anything these days, Victoria bowed her chin before gliding out the front door. Hearing it close, David turned back to Emily. "What on earth is going on, Amanda?"
"You were there all along!" Emily closed the gap between, her expression contorted in anguish as she shoved the pictures she held in her hand against his chest. "I would have known if you'd come for her!" She cried as David looked down at the pictures of the presumed Amanda Clarke taken at various Hamptons locations in recent years. "You could have come for me, but you didn't," Emily gasped, utterly dismayed that the man who stood before her now could be the same heroic father she had dedicated her life to avenging. "You taught me to be strong and brave, but you're a coward."
Stunned both by the fact Emily had come into possession of the pictures as well as the consequences they now presented, David absently dropped them from his fingers, overtaken by the disappointment radiating in Emily's eyes as tears streamed down her face. Infuriated, she shoved him backwards, sobbing, "You could have come for me!"
David instinctively caught her wrists to steady her, more concerned about her condition. "Amanda, please calm down," He urged in a whisper. "It's not good for the baby."
Emily heaved short breaths, willing herself to do just that. "You have no idea the things I've done for you," She inhaled sharply again as fresh tears fell. "Things I can never take back. And up until I saw these pictures it had all been worth it, but -" The house went black then, its darkness accompanied by the screeching crackle of electricity coming from the power lines just outside the beach house. Their emotional moment broken, David and Emily quickly made their way out the front door to find Victoria lying unconscious on the driveway.
"Hey," Daniel eagerly answered Emily's call, wondering the cause of her extended delay in returning home to the Manor. "Where are you? I thought you would have been here by now."
"I'm at the hospital," Emily replied, preoccupied by the bizarre turn of events.
Instantly alarmed, Daniel began swiftly advancing towards the door. "Are you okay? Is something wrong with the baby?"
Realizing the error of her word choice, she briefly shut her eyes in regret. "I'm sorry. No, not at all," Emily assured, looking over her shoulder at David standing vigil by Victoria's bedside. "It's your mother, Daniel... There's been an accident."
A/N: And that concludes "Forgiveness", folks! Most of you know by now that it is always my desire to combine fresh new elements/dialogue with real events of the show woven in, and I hope you liked the measurements of such in this chapter.I'm anxious to hear any thoughts you're willing to share!
I can't thank you enough for the notes of encouragement you've been sending me. I know it may take me a while to get it posted, but they truly motivate me to continue! Many, many thanks. "Revenge" as a series may have concluded nearly a year ago, but my love for the show and its characters has not diminished. I'm so glad there are people out there who share in this sentiment!
Much love,
Only Hope -7 xoxo