Author's Note: Well, here is the new chapter. I hope you enjoy it. Long Author's Note at the end.

To Those Who Reviewed:

Guest from December 8th

Thank you.

Yeah, they have their moments. Plus, I think after recent events in season four, we all have a little bit of Demily going on.

It's going to be a while, but I hope you continue to enjoy the story.

Victoria is in jail, so Paige has never met her. She has met Conrad. As for what kind of relationship they have, you'll have to wait until we see him at the wedding.

Thank you for reviewing.

Guest from December 3rd,

Thank you. Here is the update. I hope it is all you hoped for. Thank you for reviewing.

Simy

I'm glad. Here's another one.

Thank you. I am glad you liked it. I was a little worried it might be too soon for her to remember, but that is why I kept the dream vague. It is good to give something though. Some of the talk will be this chapter.

Yes, I love them too, but there is no way Nolan could keep in touch with Emily for six years without telling her who she really is. He's always wanted her to be happy, and he saw a chance for her to have everything she could never have. It was a noble sacrifice.

Thank you. I appreciate that. There does seem to be some Jemily this season, although there is the Ben obstacle, but I think that's kind of necessary. After Aiden, any guy Emily dated would be a rebound, and it would be insulting for her to rebound with Jack, because Jack is NOT a rebound. As for Kate, well, that ship has clearly sailed. I was so happy when they showed that she got the picture Victoria sent, because that meant she was a bad guy, and therefore, would not be sticking around Jack long. Of course, now, he has to deal with the fact that he took a life. I mean, he did to protect someone, so morally and legally he's okay, but it's still a hard thing to deal with psychologically. It's ironic, because for all Emily has done, she's never taken a life, even in self-defense. Maybe once Jack is done dealing with this, and Emily is done grieving for Aiden they can make a real go of it.

Thank you for reviewing.

Daimily

Making her pregnant is an interesting suggestion. I'll consider it. I like to avoid pregnancy because it's such a cliché in fanfiction, but maybe. And never be ashamed to express your inner child.

Thank you for reviewing.

Daimily,

Did you review twice, or did someone else use the same name?

I am glad you find it great and exciting. Yeah, little kids are the best. There so real and honest in a way that adults have just forgotten. Thank you. I'm glad that came across. I was trying to show her as a very well behaved and well-mannered child.

Yeah, like I said, Emily, Daniel, and Paige obviously all think that Paige is Daniel's but whether or not that is actually the case, only time will tell. I have decided who the father is, but I'm still happy to read your opinions.

Thank you for reviewing.

Guest from November 25th,

Thank you. I am glad you think it is excellent.

Yes, they are fun to write for.

Did I write that she was feeling sick? I'm not sure where that's coming from. Can you be more specific?

Thank you for reviewing.

Mikaela of November 24th,

Hello. That's good. I'm glad you are happy. No, I just take time between updates sometimes, but one way or another, as long as I will finish (unless I die). They have their merits. I definitely enjoyed their scenes this season. I am glad you are enjoying this story and like the Demily scenes, but you know it's a Jemily story, right? I mean, there will be Demily in it, but it is definitely a Jemily story. I hope that does not make you enjoy it any less or discourage you from reading it.

Thank you for reviewing.

Second Guest of November 23rd,

Well, only time will tell.

Thank you for reviewing.

First Guest of November 23rd,

This is not a Demily story, but there is some good Demily stuff in it. I hope that's enough to keep you interested. It is Jemily though.

And there are some good Demily stories out there, especially by Only Hope-7; Only Hope -7 does really good ones.

Thank you for reviewing.

Chapter Five

The thunder woke Emily. She reached for Daniel, but he wasn't there. The clock read 3:30 am, and Emily started to panic. As Emily continued to search, she found that she was not alone in the bed. There were little arms, and little legs. Paige. Emily let out a sigh of relief.

"Storm wake you?" She turned at Daniel's voice and saw him standing by the door with a glass of water. He headed towards her, "Paige too. She crawled in between us about twenty minutes ago. Asked me to get some water to calm her nerves. I'm sorry if I scared you."

He kissed her forehead and Emily smiled. "That's okay." She whispered, "I think she's out now though."

Daniel laughed, "I guess I could have saved myself the trip."

Emily shook her head, "She would have made you go." Daniel nodded, knowing she was right, "It is strange. She doesn't usually mind storms."

"I think it's the storm combined with the new environment."

Emily nodded. "There something about this house that's sort of … I don't know…"

Daniel shook his head, "There wasn't a lot of love here. It was a house but, you know, not a home."

"What about next door? You said there's a beach house down the way, and that I used to live there."

"We both did, for a while. Being with you, in that house, it was the only home I ever really knew. But that wasn't really the house either. That was all you. You once told me I felt like home to you, and I felt the same way. You are my home, Emily. You are my everything."

Emily giggled, "Careful. The little miracle between us may hear you and start questioning what you mean by saying I'm your everything."

"Well, of course, she's my everything too. She's just a … different kind of everything."

Emily nodded, "So, is your father going to be staying there, or here?"

"I think there. Charlotte wants him at the wedding, but she doesn't want him sleeping in the same house as her. Plus, that way he and his mistress can, ya know, without dealing with people walking in on them."

"Daniel, Lydia's been his wife since before Paige turned one."

"I know, I know. I just think she'll always be his mistress to me. It's probably for the best. Once she stops being his mistress and starts being his wife, he'll start looking for another one."

"Daniel." Emily chastised.

"Em, come on, the man's a-"

"Before you finish that sentence, remember your daughter is sleeping in this room and could wake up at any moment. And then, please try and remember that this man is your father. I know you have you two have your issues, but he's still your father. He's the only one you'll ever have. I don't even have a memory of my father, or my mother. The pictures I've seen always seem so … unfamiliar. I have nothing. But you have a father. You have a living, breathing, father who loves you. He may not be perfect, but he is the only father you will ever have. He's the only father I'll ever have." Emily felt something twist in her stomach as she said that, but she forged on, "Please try and remember that."

Daniel nodded, "I know. You're right. It's just …" Daniel sighed. "He's just such a … I just wish things could be different somehow."

"Daniel, wishes do nothing. If you want change, you have to make it happen."

"My father is not going to change."

"But you can. You cannot control anybody else, just yourself. Be the bigger man, learn to forgive. Have a relationship with him, and work to fix his mistakes."

Daniel nodded. He was starting to nod back off to sleep, but he grabbed Emily's hand across their daughter's back, "You never stop amazing me. How is it that you can be so forgiving?"

When Daniel said things like that, it always made Emily feel warm. She loved how he loved her, how he saw her as this perfect person. Sometimes she worried that she could never measure up to the amazing girl he seemed to think she was.

His father was a complicated topic. Emily remembered when she first met the man. It had been shortly after the accident. He had come to check on her, and had apologized for what his wife had done to her. Emily had told him it was not his fault, and she was sorry for whatever she had done to provoke her mother-in-law to hate her so much. Conrad had joked, saying what mother-in-law isn't full of hate to her new daughter. He then assured her that he and his wife were not on the same page. He had always adored her, and had been honored to have gained her as a daughter. He was being perfectly nice, but for some reason, hearing Conrad Grayson call her his daughter had made her skin crawl.

Later she told Daniel about her unease around his father. Daniel had explained that Conrad, while always perfectly likeable in a public setting, had done some pretty bad things. He had not elaborated. He simply told her maybe she remembered something, or maybe she could just sense it. After all, he had said, she had always been a great judge of character.

After Victoria's trial, and a few more awkward conversations with her father-in-law, Emily had asked Charlotte, and had gotten a far more detailed tale. Charlotte had said that her mother had been having an affair with an employee of Conrad's, a man named David Clarke, a man who Charlotte revealed was her birth father. David has been arrested and his daughter, Amanda, who was also Charlotte's half-sister, had gotten married, and had a son, Carl. Amanda died because she had been trying to prove her father's innocence. Then, when her husband was trying to prove that Conrad was responsible for the death of his wife, Conrad tried to trick him into going into a building that Conrad knew was going to be bombed later that day. The husband lived, but his little brother, Declan, had not. Charlotte then revealed that she and Declan had been in love. She said that she had been carrying his child, and had miscarried. After that, she broke down, and the information flow stopped. Emily comforted Charlotte. It was the first time she felt she could be a big sister to this girl. She had felt so lost and confused, how could she help somebody else? But Charlotte knew pain, and loss, and she did not need somebody with all the answers. She just needed somebody to listen, and care, and hold her while she cried. Emily could do that. She could be a sister to Charlotte. She could be a mother to her unborn child.

Emily lay awake, thinking about how much had changed. She had been so scared to be a wife, a sister-in-law, a mother. Now, she could not imagine being anything else. Life without Daniel, Paige, and Charlotte did not seem possible. Eventually, she gave up trying to fall back asleep and headed downstairs to make some tea. She was getting the lay of the land a little better.

As she stirred the tea, she thought about the story of David, and Amanda, and Carl, and Declan, and Charlotte, and Jack. Had Charlotte named him, or simply referred to him as Amanda's husband? It was so long ago that Emily could not remember. It was strange to put a face to the story. Jack, a sweet man, a kind father. Jack, a man who had apparently once kissed her, and who may have once cared for her as more than a friend. Jack, who had lost his wife, and in trying to bring the man behind it to justice, lost his brother. Jack, who Daniel did not trust. Jack, who ran a bar and remembered her favorite thing on the menu, even after all this time. Jack, who looked so disappointed when she did not remember him. Jack, who was strong, but remained adorably awkward. Jack, who was best friends with a billionaire, and chose to work for a living, and live a simple lifestyle. Or, he seemed to, at least. Emily had only seen the bar. Maybe his house was extravagant as well. She supposed she would find out tomorrow, or, later today as it was nearly 5:00 in the morning. She would swing by his place in a few hours to pick up Carl for their park play-date. She had offered, wanting to save Jack the trip as an apology for the other day. He had said it wasn't necessary, but he had texted her the address, all the same.

"Hey." Emily heard a whisper and looked up. "Couldn't sleep?"

Emily nodded, "You?"

Charlotte shook her head, "I wanted to get up early so I could make Javier breakfast." Emily looked at Charlotte skeptically, "What?"

"Sweetie, you know I love you, but, do you know how to cook?"

Charlotte shrugged. "Well, it's just following a recipe, right? How hard can it be?"

Emily cringed, "How about I give you a hand-"

"I want this to come from me-"

"And it will. I'll just be here incase you … need a little … assistance."

Charlotte sighed, but then nodded reluctantly. Emily watched her attempt to cook, and gave her a subtle hand whenever she could. She hoped Charlotte would not notice how much she was helping, but Charlotte was not stupid.

"Ugh! Why can't I do this?"

"You were raised with chefs making food for you. It's not your fault." Emily soothed.

"By how can I be a good wife if I can't even make eggs?" Charlotte asked, putting her head in her hands.

"Well, not that it is your responsibility as Javier's wife to make all his meals, but, I didn't know anything when I entered my marriage. Literally. And Daniel and I are doing just fine."

Charlotte nodded, "I'm sorry. You're right. I know you're right. It's just … I had the worst possible example growing up. My parents were horrible. They were horrible to Danny and I; they were horrible to each other. I don't know if I'll even know how to-"

"Charlotte, stop. You are not your parents. You are a loving, caring person, who I am proud to call my sister. You are a great aunt to Paige, and as far as I can tell, a great aunt to Carl. You love Javier. You are honest, and pure, and good, and nothing like your mother. You are going to be fine."

"Thank you." Charlotte said. She seemed touched by Emily's words, but Emily was not sure that Charlotte actually believed them, "This is going to sound horrible, but … sometimes … sometimes I envy you. Getting to start over like you did." Emily nodded, "I think about all the horrible things that have happened, and sometimes, I just want to forget." Charlotte shook her head, seemingly trying to shake herself out of it, "But I have Javier, and you and Danny and Paige, and Jack and Carl. I know I'm lucky, I just …"

Emily hugged her sister-in-law. "You're just scared. It's okay. I was too. I couldn't imagine being a wife or a parent when I didn't even know who I was."

"How did you do it?"

"I learned to be a wife, and a sister first, and when Paige came, she was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen, and I knew I could be a mother."

Charlotte was quiet for a minute. Finally, she smiled, "Thank you Emily."

Emily nodded, "Any time. I'm always here for you, Charlotte."

"Well, I better get back to Javier." Charlotte said. She gave Emily one last hug and headed for the stairs. Emily smiled, watching Charlotte go. This was right. She belonged here. This was her family.

"So, what is this about then?" Nolan asked, picking up the phone. He had thought after Emily lost her memories, he was done with middle-of-the-night-I-need-a-favor-phone-calls. And after Aiden died, he had really thought he was done. But now Jack was calling. And considering everything that had been happening lately, Nolan doubted it would be anything good. Those kinds of phone calls never were.

"I need your help with something."

"I assumed as much. Wanna be a bit more specific?"

There was a pause. "Yeah, but, it'll be easier to explain in person. I just … could you make a copy of something, and alter the copy to look like it had been, I don't know, smudged, over the years?"

"Possibly." Nolan purred, "Why?"

"Like I said, it's easier to explain in person. Can you come over?"

"Sure, but there's a storm a-ragin' outside."

"I'm aware. Look, I would come to you, but I can't just leave Carl, and wakin' him for something like this seems …" jack trailed off.

"I get it. I'll be there soon. Been wanting to take a couple risks lately. Since Emily left, I haven't feared for my life in, oh, years."

Jack laughed, "Okay drama queen. It's just a little rain."

"Sure, sure. Just say something nice at my funeral, would'ja?"

When morning came, the sky seemed to have cleared. Emily was grateful. She did not want to disappoint Paige again, and she really did want to talk to Jack about a few things.

Paige was up and ready to go so fast, Emily could barely believe it. She did not remember her daughter being this excited for anything back in Connecticut. Little Carl was making her baby smiley and happy, and Emily felt like she owed him a huge debt, which she would happily pay so long as her daughter kept smiling like that.

"Where are you lovely ladies headed?" Daniel asked after kissing them both good morning.

"The Park!" Paige said.

Emily nodded, "Paige was bummed about not getting to hang out with Carl before, so I wanted to make it up to her."

Daniel nodded, "I see. So, you're going to be hanging out with Jack Porter then?"

Emily nodded, "We'll just be watching the kids." Daniel sighed, looking doubtful. Emily pulled him off to the sighed so Paige couldn't hear, "Daniel, I understand why you're worried. Charlotte told me that Jack and I have a … history. But I love you. You have to know that. You've been there for me through all the trials of the last six years. You helped me figure out who I am, you are the father of my daughter, you protected me from Aiden. I cannot speak about what happened in the past, you know that, but I am your wife, and I would never be unfaithful to you."

Daniel smiled, "I know. I trust you. I just … Jack-"

"You don't have to trust Jack. You just have to trust me."

"I do."

"Good." Emily said, pecking him on the lips.

By the time Emily pulled up in front of the Porter's house, it had started to rain again. It wasn't coming down hard, but Emily could see that Paige was concerned.

"Don't worry baby. You'll get to play with Carl today. I promise."

She took Paige's hand, and the two of them made their way to the front door. It was a pleasant looking house, very suburban. Emily felt as though she would be more comfortable in this sort of house than The Manor. She reminded herself that they would only be in The Manor until Charlotte's wedding. Afterwards, they would return to their house in Connecticut, a nice, normal home, not unlike the one she was ringing the doorbell of.

Jack answered the door, his eyes crinkling as he smiled at Emily and Paige. "Sorry we're a little late." Emily apologized.

Jack shook his head, "It's fine. Why don't you two come in before you get soaked?"

Emily nodded in appreciation and entered the house. Jack took her coat and hung it up. "Nice place." Emily said, looking around. It really was too. It was nice and simple, not unlike her and Daniel's home in Connecticut. It was a real home, not just a house.

Jack shrugged modestly, "Well, it's hardly a mansion, but we get by."

Emily smiled at him "Our home isn't a mansion either. To be honest, The Manor is a bit overbearing. I prefer simpler living."

Jack smiled back, his eyes meeting hers. Before he could speak, Carl came running in, "Paige!" he said, excited.

"Hello Carl. It's nice to see you again." Paige said in her polite way.

"Carl, do we run in the house?" Jack asked, his eyes still fixed on Emily's.

"No." Carl said looking down. Then, he perked back up, "Hey, wanna come see my room?"

"It would be my pleasure." Paige said.

"Actually, we should probably get going soon. We don't want all the good swings to be gone." Emily said. Her statement was followed by a loud thunderclap.

"I don't think we'll be going to the park today." Jack said.

"Again?" Carl whined. Paige looked down disappointed.

"Hey, we can have fun here." Emily said, leaning down to look her daughter in the eye. "What do you need to have a really, really good time?" Emily asked. Her tone implied that this was a question she had asked before, a routine her daughter would recognize.

Sure enough, Paige's eyes lit up, and she responded, "A really, really good imagination."

Emily smiled, nodding, "Now, where are we?"

Paige looked around, tapping her chin thoughtfully with her finger, "We're at the home of a prince. His father wrote to my mother, saying he was looking for a princess to befriend his son, who was lonely, because the Kingdom did not have any other kids." She turned to Carl and Jack, who were listening, intrigued, "We drove such a long way, in a terrible storm. Our horses are so tired, and we were almost robbed on the journey."

"Oh, no!" Carl said.

"Oh yes! But my mother possesses magic, and she protected us. Now we've arrived safely, and there is to be a banquet in our honor. They'll be dancing, and music, and we'll all dress up in the most fabulous clothes." She turned to Carl, "But first, the prince will show me the castle."

Carl nodded, "Of course."

Emily smiled, then looked at Jack hopefully, "Well, you two best get along. It looks like I have a banquet to prepare."

Emily laughed, "I'll give you a hand. I'm quite handy in the kitchen."

Carl and Paige raced up the stairs to see his room, the whole time Paige complimenting him on his castle, and thanking him for being so kind to them.

Daniel sat down, a brandy in one hand, a photo album in the other. Being in The Manor had made him rather nostalgic, much to his surprise. He flipped the pages, finding on of Charlotte at her first horseback-riding lesson. She had been thrown from the horse, he remembered, but she had been determined not to give up. He smiled at the memory.

"I think it took five different horses before I found one I trusted."

He turned, seeing Charlotte looking over his shoulder. He hadn't heard her come in, but he was always glad for her company, "I can't believe that little girl is getting married." He said, motioning to the picture.

She smiled at him, "I haven't been a little girl for a while."

"To me, you'll always be a little girl."

Charlotte rolled her eyes, "You sound like you're my father, not my brother."

Daniel sighed, "Speaking of, when does the devil arrive?"

Charlotte looked down, "Not until the day of the wedding. He wanted to come earlier, but I thought it was best-"

"You thought right."

Charlotte rolled her eyes, "He's not my favorite person either. But he's still our father."

"Why do people keep saying that like it excuses everything he's done?"

"You think I think it excuses everything he's done? You think I've forgiven him for Declan? I'll never be able to forgive him for that. But … I don't want my wedding to be another Grayson disaster. I just want to marry Javier, and live my life with him. I want what you and Emily have." Daniel looked down, "Please, Danny, don't make a thing about dad being there. He wasn't going to miss my wedding. He made that clear, and I didn't want to fight. Please, let me get my happily ever after."

Daniel swallowed a grimace, smiling at Charlotte, "Anything for you."

"Thank you."

"So, what are we making?"

"Well, I don't know if I have the makings for a banquet, but we can prepare a nice dinner. I would have picked some stuff up from the store if I'd-"

"It'll be fine. Paige isn't picky; she eats what she's given, and she'll happily pretend it's whatever she thinks would be served at a banquet."

"She has quite the imagination."

Emily smiled, then looked down, "After the accident, I tried to imagine what my life had been like. Daniel told me stories, but, it wasn't the same. So I used to make up stories. Silly ones, but … anyway, I told them to Paige in the womb, and I kept doing it after she was born. I learned that a good story, a good imagination, can be quite comforting. I passed the lesson on."

"What, uh, what were some of the stories?"

"You mean, the ones I made up?" Jack nodded, "Well, mostly, they were about my parents. I guess … I guess I didn't like to talk about them to Daniel, so, he couldn't fill me in. I would pretend they were hippies who met at a sit-in. They had a one-night-stand and got pregnant with me, so they had to get married, and then they fell in love over the course of their marriage. Or that they were bookworms. She worked at a library to put herself through college, where she was studying to be a writer, and he came in to take a book out one day, and they fell in love. I pretended that they named me for Emily Bronte. " She looked at Jack, "I haven't thought about it in a long time."

"It must be hard, not remembering them."

Emily looked down, "I'm used to it by now."

"You know, a few years back, I found out that my dad's ex-wife, the woman who I thought was my mother, actually wasn't. My dad had an affair with a woman who used to frequent the bar. She left when I was born because … well, she was an alcoholic. She had to get herself clean. And then, I guess, she was scared to come find me. But she did. It was hard, but, I'm glad I know her now. I know it's not the same as not remembering your parents, but-"

"Jack, I've been living with this for a while. You don't have to try and make me feel better. I appreciate it, but I long-ago accepted that I'll probably never know anything about my parents."

Jack looked down, his eyes fixating on her arm for some reason, "Actually, I know something. It's small, but," he paused, "That symbol on your wrist, do you know what it is?"

"It's double infinity." She responded.

"Do you know why you got it?" She shook her head. Jack gently grabbed her wrist. When she didn't pull back, he lifted it up, turning it so they were both looking at the symbol. "You're father, when you were little, that's what he used to tell you." A reminiscent smile appeared of Jack's lips as he looked at her wrist. Slowly, he began tracing the symbol with his thumb. It was such a simple thing, but it gave Emily goose bumps, and she felt her breath catch in her throat, "He said he loved you infinity times infinity." He lifted his eyes up to meet hers again, "You got that tattoo to honor his memory."

Emily starred at him in shock, "How… how could you possibly know that?" she stammered out.

"You told me."

Emily looked down, "Daniel never said … why would I talk to you about something, but not Daniel?"

Jack dodged her gaze, "Maybe you thought it would be easier."

Emily took a deep breath, preparing herself for the conversation she knew she needed to have with Jack, "Jack, were we ever … was there ever anything between us?"

He chuckled awkwardly, "I … don't really know how to answer that. I mean, you know that we were friends-"

"I know, but, Charlotte said we kissed, and you know these things, and Daniel doesn't, and I…" Her words were all jumbled, she was babbling, and her breathing was uneven. She knew she needed to calm herself down. Finally, she got the courage to ask the question that terrified her "Were we having an affair?" She asked it in a whisper, as if that could make it not true.

"Of course not. " Jack said, firmly, "That kiss, it was a onetime thing. We were both in pain that night." He caught her eyes, shooting her a reassuring smile, "Two friends, taking comfort in one another."

"Comfort?" She asked, still nervous. What did that mean? How often had she sought 'comfort' from Jack, or some other friend? Was it only a kiss? And why would she need comfort? Why wouldn't she turn to Daniel? She loved him so much; she didn't want to believe that she could be this person who deceived and cheated on him.

Jack took a deep breath, "Emily … there's a lot of history between you and I. I'm happy to answer your questions, but I can't fill you in on everything in the course of an afternoon. There's too much."

"I'm sorry. I just … I love my husband. And despite all the questions I have, I thought I had my life figured out. But now I'm learning all these things I never knew about, and I feel like … I feel like I'm …" she didn't know how to finish the sentence. She felt the tears welling up. It had been so long since she'd cried about the life she'd lost. She thought she had accepted it, but …

"Hey, hey. Come here," Jack drew her to him, holding her, stroking her hair, "Hey, it's okay." She melted into him for a minute, letting him comfort her.

"Mommy?" They both looked up to see Carl and Paige on the stairs, watching them, "Are you all right?"

Emily stepped away from Jack and wiped at her face. Then she turned to her daughter, "I'm fine sweetheart."

"You look sad."

Emily nodded. She didn't like upsetting Paige, but she also preferred to avoid lying to her child, "I am, a little. But I'll be all right. You and Carl go back upstairs and play. We'll come get you when the banquet's ready."

Author's Note: Okay, so, first off, the stuff Charlotte told Emily. At first, I had Charlotte tell Emily the whole story, but I wasn't sure how much Charlotte actually knew, since in this world she was never kidnapped. I re-watched the episode in season three where Jack tells her that Conrad knew about the bomb. I wasn't sure exactly how much Jack told her, since the only thing she accuses her dad of is knowing about the bomb, not planting the bomb. Jack told her what happened because she was blaming herself for Declan's death, and Jack felt she should know who was really responsible. He probably didn't want to get into the David Clarke conspiracy theories because, if she believed him, it would put her in a very dangerous position, and he probably would not want her following in her sister's footsteps. However, he would have needed to give her a reason for why Conrad would not have told anyone about the bomb, and as he probably didn't know all the legal issues, he might have told her he suspected Conrad played a role in what happened to Amanda. Then, of course, he would need to tell her why. Charlotte has heard the conspiracy theories before, and knowing that her sister was trying to prove that Conrad framed David doesn't confirm that he actually did; it just confirms that she believed it. When Charlotte was faced with the truth at the end of season three, she confronted her father, and as she did not do this before, the only reasonable assumption that she did not know. It was likely a combination of being kept in the dark, and a level of naïveté and denial. I also did not want Emily knowing the whole story, because if she did, I feel like she would urge Charlotte to go to the police. Even not knowing David Clarke was her father, she would still feel he had been wronged, and that she had a responsibility to right that wrong. In the long run, I needed both Charlotte and Emily to know just enough to be shaky about Conrad, without being in a place where they had to choose between stepping forward to the police, or being an accessory after the fact. Sorry for the rant. I just felt the need to explain.

We will find out what Jack went to Nolan for; I just did not have room for it this chapter.

The whole thing with Emily asking the question and Paige saying the answer as a routine is supposed to sort of mirror her "infinity times infinity" routine with her dad. I apologize if it does not come across.

So, what do you think of the story Paige came up with? I considered changing it to a princess and her mother's carriage broke down in the rain and they took refuge in a little cabin in the woods, but since I started out with prince, changing them to pauper's in the woods seemed like Paige making some sort of commentary on the difference in their financial statuses, and I didn't want her to do that. I, also, didn't want to do that. I hope the story works.

Obviously, we have no clue how Emily's parents met, but I figured she'd speculate on it. And I have always been a strong believer in the power of imagination. I've been making up stories all my life.

I think that's it. Please review. It really makes me happy.