Author's Note: Hello. I know it's been a while, and so much has happened in the show. I am in awe. I had my doubts I the writers bringing back You-Know-Who, but it just goes to show, you should not doubt the writers. Anyway, this is my new chapter. I hope you like it, and I am anxious to read your feedback. There will be another author's note at the end.

To Those Who Reviewed:

Simy,

Thank you. I like to make people happy.

I am glad you think so. I love that scene too. I've watched it so many times on YouTube, and I still always cry.

I know this isn't soon, but this is an update. Hopefully that's good enough for now.

Mikaela,

Thank you. I am glad you like it. Unique is usually what I am going for, so thank you.

Yes, I had not mentioned it before, but you had to admit, given when Emily got pregnant, it could have been either Daniel's or Aiden's, and given that Emily would probably be more careful with Daniel than Aiden because she would not want to carry a Grayson, and she was planning to run away with Aiden, it is reasonable that Aiden might think the baby is his. As for who the baby's father actually is, that will be revealed in time. Out of curiosity, why do you hope it is Daniel's?

Guest of October 2,

Here is the update. I hope you like it.

Chapter Four

Emily smiled, relaxed. She loved it here, standing on the beach. The water felt so good beneath her toes. She knew she had been here before, even if she couldn't remember when. It was the most familiar place in the world, this beach. She stared out at the water, breathed in the cool sea air. It smelt like salt, salt and home.

Then the water came. It came, and it swept her up, carrying her. She knew she should be afraid, but she wasn't. The water was not going to hurt her. It was protecting her, wrapping her in a cool blanket, keeping her safe. She felt herself go underneath, but she had no trouble breathing. The water was her home. It would keep her safe.

Then, she broke the surface. She was still in the water, but there was something carrying her. It was a boat, and somehow, she knew it was hers. Her name was even on the side. EMILY, all caps, written in beautiful gold letters. Except that wasn't right. Did they get the spelling wrong? Something was off, but what? Maybe a letter was missing?

"Sometimes, you get a boat out on the open water, and you catch a wind, and the sails fill, and she comes to life under you, and it feels like more than just wind and water and vessel, it feels like there's something else going on. Something pulling you forward and surrounding you at the same time."

That voice. She knew that voice. Where was it coming from? She followed it, heading to the cabin below, "Am I making any sense?" she heard the voice ask. And then, there was Jack Porter. He looked younger, his hair was longer, and he had slightly more facial hair, but he was familiar. Too familiar. He was smiling at her kindly, hopefully, and she felt safe. Safer than the water made her feel. His smile brought her home somehow.

She knew she was supposed to say something, but she wasn't sure what. He kept going though, as though she had spoken, "Normally I wouldn't do anything like this, but I feel like this feeling comes along once or twice in a lifetime if we're lucky. Tell me I'm alone in this. Tell me I'm alone in this, and I won't bother you again."

He kept smiling at her, waiting, but she said nothing. She didn't know what to say. Then, he disappeared, fading away into nothing. She felt the boat disappear beneath her feet, and she was in the water again, but she wasn't safe this time. Her bathrobe was gone, and she was in a lovely white dress. Blood pooled around her, and she felt an ache in her gut. She saw her name pass by. Jack's ship. He was coming for her. She saw his hand reaching for her, and she tried to grab it, but she couldn't reach. She sank farther beneath the sea.

Emily jerked awake, gasping for breath. It was a dream she had had before. At least, some of it was. The feeling of drowning, the ache in her stomach. It did not take a genius to figure out where that recurring nightmare came from. It had been a while though.

The part with Jack was new, so new. How much of that was real? Was it a memory? A fantasy?

Emily reached down and felt her abdomen, the spot where her scar was. As insane as it seemed, sometimes she felt almost grateful that she could not remember getting shot. She knew it must have hurt like hell. She didn't like to think about her accident.

"Emily?" She looked up to see Charlotte looking in on her, concern etched on the younger girl's face.

"Charlotte." Emily said, gluing on a fake smile, "How are you doing? No cold feet I hope?"

Charlotte laughed, "No, nothing like that." She made her way in and sat on the edge of Emily's bed. Emily moved to make way for her sister-in-law. "How about you? Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Charlotte looked down, "I heard you tossing and turning in your sleep. And when I came to check on you just now, you looked kind of, well, scared."

Emily sighed, "I was dreaming about the accident." She confided.

"Oh." Charlotte responded, surprised, "I thought you couldn't remember-"

"I can't. But sometimes, I get bit's and pieces." It was Emily's turn to look down, "I remember being in the water, scared, certain I was going to die."

"Oh, Emily." Emily could hear the sympathy in Charlotte's voice.

"It's okay. I've had these dreams before. Daniel can tell you. It's hard, but I can deal. I've learnt to."

"It must be horrible."

Emily shook her head, "At night, it's hard, I get scared. But then I wake up, and I have a loving husband, and a beautiful daughter, and the best sister-in-law in the world, and I'm okay."

Charlotte smiled, and leaned in to give Emily a hug. Emily reciprocated. She was so glad that Charlotte was her sister-in-law. She may have gotten a horrible mother in law, but it was worth it, to get Daniel and Charlotte and Paige.

"If you ever need to talk, I'm here. I know you and Daniel like to keep me in the dark sometimes, but you don't need to protect me anymore. I'm all grown up. I'm getting married. I want to be here for you."

Emily smiled, "Actually, there is something you could do for me."

"What is it?"

"It's just … you know Jack?"

Charlotte chuckled, "Of course."

"Well, Daniel, he, that is, Daniel and Jack don't seem to like each other very much and I was wondering if you could tell me why that is."

"Why not just ask Daniel?"

"I'm asking you. You care for Daniel, and Jack, and me, and you know all of us pretty well. You seemed like the best person to ask."

Charlotte nodded, "Well, I don't know all the details. I heard it second hand but, well, when you and Daniel were engaged the first time, I guess you were having issues, and apparently you and Jack shared a, well, a moment." Emily gave Charlotte a questioning look, "You kissed. I don't know if Daniel saw it, or you told him, or if he found out some other way, but I do know that that's why you broke off your engagement the first time around. You two worked it out, obviously, got back together, got married, but Daniel never trusted Jack after that."

Emily nodded, taking in what Charlotte said, "When Daniel and I were broken up, did Jack and I … ?"

"No. At least, I don't think so. I know you dated Aiden briefly, of course he turned out to be a psycho." Emily scoffed. Understatement. "But I think you and Jack were just friends. I mean, after you and Daniel broke it off, Amanda came back pregnant and her and Jack got back together, so I don't see when you would have had time to be anything. And then, by the time Amanda passed, you and Daniel were back together."

"But we stayed friend. Me and Jack, I mean?"

"As far as I know. I think after Amanda died you had a brief falling out, but Jack was in a lot of pain then, so he was sort of pushing everyone away. You guys made up though."

"Did he come to the wedding?"

"No, but I think that was Daniel's decision. My brother can be rather paranoid at times." Emily was quiet, "Does that help?"

"Yes. Thank you Charlotte."

"Anytime."

"So, you're giving Charlotte away?" Javier asked. Daniel nodded, shifting uncomfortably. Charlotte had asked him to spend some time with her fiancé, try and get to know the guy a little better. And Daniel was trying; he would do anything for Charlotte. It was kind of painful. He and Javier didn't have a lot in common, and Daniel got the feeling that he wasn't exactly Javier's favorite person.

When he had first found out Charlotte was dating an ex-con, he was anything but thrilled. But, he and Emily had already moved to Connecticut at that point, so he couldn't really do anything about it. Now, it was years later, and they were getting married soon, so he really couldn't do anything about it. Besides, he'd been on the other side of that. His mother had never approved of any of the girls he had dated, and she had tried to stop his wedding right up until the day. Her hatred of Emily and her manipulative nature were the reason he … he didn't want to think about that now. The point was, he was not his mother. He loved Charlotte, and he respected her. If she trusted Javier, that was enough for him. Well, not really, but it would have to be. He refused to pull a Victoria Grayson on her.

"Why isn't, uh, Papa Grayson doing the honors?"

"Because Charlotte asked me. Her and my dad, well, you must know their relationship is complicated. He's not technically her real father, and there are … issues." Daniel decided to not elaborate. Javier would know whatever Charlotte saw fit to tell him, nothing more. "She wanted me to, so, of course, I'm there for her."

"I gotta say, this whole thing is a little ritzy for my taste. Not that I mind, ya know, but I never thought I'd have such a big wedding. But it's what Char wants, so … I mean, you got married, you should know. Bet your wife was all over the whole big, nine yards, fairy tale wedding thing."

"Actually, Emily is a girl of … simpler tastes. Originally, we wanted a small wedding. I was the one who made it bigger. I had just started at Voulez, and making the wedding a big event that the magazine could cover would help my career. At first Emily wasn't thrilled but, she got into it. She was always making compromises for me." And I did the unthinkable to her. No, don't go there. Daniel hated recounting the past. It always seemed to lead him here. He did everything he could think of to avoid here, these thoughts, these memories, this guilt, but it was always there. Whenever Emily did something selfless and thoughtful, whenever she felt lost because she couldn't remember anything, whenever she felt insecure about her scar. He tried so hard not to think about it. It didn't really matter now; not after all this time. He couldn't change the past. All he could do was look to the future. He could be a good husband, and a good father. He had been, and sometimes, that was enough to make it all okay. Except, it was never all okay. Not really.

"Still, I bet she loved feeling like a princess in that pretty white dress, right? I don't care how simple they say they want it to be. When it comes to the big day, all women want the same thing. I love Char more than anything, but I wouldn't be shocked if she told me she wanted to have like, I don't know, the Pope officiate or something."

"Charlotte's protestant."

"You know what I mean. These weddings, huh? But, hey, Papa Grayson's covering the cost, and Charlotte and Emily are handling all the planning, so I guess I can't really complain. Plus, at the end of the over-the-top fairy tale, I get to be married to the hottest babe since Helen of Troy."

"Could you maybe not talk about my sister that way?" Daniel asked, annoyed.

Javier shrugged and took a sip of his fruity looking drink. "Why? She's never minded."

Daniel clenched his teeth, "Okay, but I mind."

"Hey, sorry I'm late." Daniel looked up, surprised to see Nolan Ross taking a seat next to Javier.

"Nolan. What are you doing here?"

"I invited him. I mean, we're the guys of the wedding, right? Best man and awkwardly young father figure. Plus groom."

Nolan clapped him on the back, "So, how ya feelin' groom?"

"Great. We were just talkin' about what a hottie my fiancé is."

"Ross, if you make any comment about what he just said, I swear I'll break your nose."

Nolan put his hands up, "Hey, I'm here in peace, okay. I mean, I think one of my best friends deserves the perfect wedding. Little tip though, DO NOT use a boat for your honeymoon. Between Jack and Amanda, and then Emily, I think there's some seriously bad mojo with that form of travel post-wedding. At least where my friends are concerned."

"Well, I mean, Charlotte kinda had her heart set on Greece, so-"

"So, I'll lend you guys my jet. Just avoid boats and water."

"Thanks man. Hey, it's kind of like I'm contributing financially, you know."

"Dude, you're giving her love, that's worth more than anything. Plus, it's not like your broke."

"Compared to Charlotte I am."

"Yeah, well, patience, grasshopper. MyClone was a hue success. Before you know it, you'll have more money then you know what to do with."

Javier nodded, "Well, I hope so. Char's a classy girl. If I want her to keep me around-"

"Dude, you're at the wedding, the finish line, you're in. don't stress."

Daniel sat awkwardly as his wife's former best friend, and his sister's fiancé talked the night away. So much for getting to know Javier.

"I think I'm gonna get going." Daniel said, standing up and getting out his wallet to pay for the drinks, "Emily's probably wondering where I am."

"Don't worry about the bill. This one's on me." Javier said.

Daniel shrugged. He wasn't going to argue. Not if it meant he had to hang around The Odd Couple another minute.

"How is Mrs. Grayson these days?" Nolan asked casually, "Settling back into her Hamptons routine?"

"Why would she do that? We're going back home after the wedding."

"Well, let her know she's free to stop by Casa de Ross any time."

"Yeah, sure." Daniel said, mentally adding that he was sure Emily could not wait to catch up with a friend she could not remember who made next to no effort to stay in contact with her. He didn't want to pick a fight right now. He was tired, and he wanted to go home. Funny, how quickly Grayson Manor had become home again. It had not really been one when he lived there, but then, it had been the only one he had known. Now, he had Connecticut. He had Paige, and he had Emily. They just needed to get through this wedding, and then they could get back to their lives. Everything could get back to normal.

"Hello." Jack said, annoyance clear in his voice. Carl had not taken the cancelling of his play-date with Paige well. He was being a real pain about the whole thing, and Jack was getting sick of it.

"Bad time?" Emily. He heard a chuckle in her voice. That had to be a good sign.

"For you, never." He said, his demeanor changing.

"Thank you. Um, so, I was calling because, I was wondering if you and Carl would like to come to the park with Paige and I around, say, 1:30?"

Jack smiled, "Um, well, I don't know if-"

"And, also I wanted to apologize for jumping to conclusions the other day. I had an incident when Paige was born, and … anyway, I just got a little paranoid. But I should not have made assumptions without all the facts."

"Thank you for saying that. I appreciate it. It's just, Carl being kind of a brat today, and I don't really want to reward him. But, if you guys are free tomorrow, then we would love to see you."

"That sounds great. I'll go tell Paige. She's going to be very excited."

Jack smiled into the phone, "I'm sure she is. Carl will be too, believe me." Should he say more? He wanted to, but he didn't want to scare her, "And it will be nice to see you again, Emily."

"You too Jack, I'd actually like to talk to you about … well, I just have some questions I'd like to ask you. If you don't mind, of course."

"You can ask me anything."

"Thank you Jack. I have to get going, but I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'll see you tomorrow Emily."

"Hey. There's my favorite girl." Javier said.

Charlotte laughed, "You don't have to sneak in my window, you know. We have a front door."

"Where's the fun in that?" Charlotte laughed. She put down her hairbrush and went to help her doofus fiancé through the window. Not that he needed help; he was very experience in this. Still, it was fun falling back on the bed together.

Javier kissed her, and Charlotte felt so happy and light. She really did love him. After Declan, she never thought she would find love again. But then Javier had just showed up out of nowhere. He was honest to a fault, and brilliant, obviously. He was not perfect, far from it, but he got her. He got who she was and where she was coming from. He saw all that was beautiful in all that was screwed up, and he loved her for all of it. And she loved him. Not many people get a second chance at true love, but Charlotte had.

"So, how was your day with Danny?"

Javier shrugged, "Fine, I guess. He's a little touchy about you. Like, I was complimenting you, telling him what a hottie he had for a sister, and you'd think he'd be like, 'oh, that's nice,' but he got all defensive."

"You called me a hottie in front of my older brother?" Charlotte asked, laughing. Javier just shrugged, "You're adorable."

"I prefer manly, sexy, slightly animal."

Charlotte laughed again, "Well, all those things too, obviously."

"He's really sensitive about Emily. Like, I was talking about how you wanted a wedding like hers, and he got all-"

"Emily got shot just after their wedding." Charlotte said.

"Yeah, but that was the honeymoon, not the wedding."

"They're linked. You have to understand, Daniel's never stopped blaming himself for Emily's accident. What my mother did was unforgivable. I'm just so glad she won't get out in time for our wedding."

"Our wedding. I love it when you talk all mushy."

"Shut up." Charlotte said, hitting him with a pillow. Javier laughed, and then grabbed her around the waist. She melted into him. Of course, then he started to tickle her, which she did not see coming. She couldn't breath from laughing, and he just kept tickling until he had her pinned down on the bed. She wanted to be mad at him, but then he leaned down and kissed her, and she just couldn't. This was Javier being Javier, he was fun, and silly, and slightly raunchy, and constantly surprising her. God, she loved him. She kissed him back, feeling how much he loved and wanted her with each passionate kiss. She waited until he relaxed a little, and then she surprised him by flipping them over. He laughed, "If you wanted to be on top, you just had to ask."

Charlotte smirked, "Does that mean you'll do whatever I want?"

He reached up and brushed her hair back, staring at her with so much adoration and so much love in his eyes, "Always."

Emily had done her best to occupy herself while Daniel was out. It wasn't that hard, really. She had Paige, and a six-year-old is always a handful. She and Paige played pretend with her dolls, did arts and crafts, and read Paige's favorite book, Peter and Wendy by J.M. Barrie. Well, Emily read, Paige listened. Paige was smart, but not quite at the level for such a complicated book yet. Still, she loved to listen.

When Paige was finally ready for bed, Emily was exhausted. She took a nice hot shower, and got ready for bed. When she came out of the bathroom, wearing one of her favorite bathrobes, Daniel was in the bed, smiling up at her.

"What are you dong?" She asked.

"Waiting for you." He said.

Emily smiled, "Well, I'm here now."

"No, you're over there, so very, very far away from here. And, quite frankly, you're wearing far to much clothes for my liking."

Emily laughed, "This tiny little bathrobe is too much."

"Far too much."

Emily smiled. Then, she shed the bathrobe and got in bed with Daniel.

"Much better," he said, before kissing her, "I missed you today."

"Oh, it can't have been that bad."

"What do I have in common with a tech-genius slash ex-con."

"Charlotte."

"Yes, well, bonding over my sister with the guy sleeping with her isn't so easy. Especially when he's so casual about the whole thing. You know he called her a hottie? Like, right to my face. Just said it. Just like that."

"Well, she is, isn't she? Plus, you wouldn't want her marrying some guy who thought she was ugly, would you?"

"There's a difference between pretty and hot. I don't want to think of my sister like that."

"So don't, but she is. I mean, how could she not be? Hotness runs in the family." She pecked Daniel's lips.

He laughed, "Is that so?"

"Mm-hm. Very good genes." She pecked his lips again.

"Well, thank you Mrs. Grayson."

"That's it? Just thank you. You're not going to say anything about my genes?" Emily said in mock offense. She pulled away, pretending to pout.

"Well, you don't wear jeans often, but on the few occasions I've seen you in them, you pulled them off quite well."

"Ha-ha."

"Of course, I prefer you in nothing."

"Well, I'm in nothing now. What are you going to do about it?"

Daniel smirked, "Allow me to demonstrate."

Author's Note: So, I decided to end the chapter on a happy note.

I considered having Emily remember the actual conversation with Jack, but it seemed like too much information too soon. And I sort of liked crafting this dream that incorporates her history with Jack, and the memories he is stirring up, and the shooting, and The Amanda, and how Emily likes to stand on the beach and feel the water run over her feet. It was a really fun scene to write. I hope you liked it.

Do not worry, you will see the play-date next chapter.

I know there was not as much Jemily or Paige/Carl in this chapter, but there will be more, later. I'm trying to include everything I can.

Somebody asked what happened to Conrad. He was mentioned here, and we will definitely see him at the wedding. I will go into that more later.

I wanted to show some of Charlotte's relationship with Javier. I mean, I've always shipped her with Declan, and always will, but Javier was probably second best of the guys she dated, and he wasn't a bad guy. I thought it might be fun to explore a little of their relationship. And of course, I threw some Demily in there. How could I not, after that elevator scene?

So, let me know what you think? I hope you liked it.