Author's Note: So, it's been about six months since I last updated. Not my personal worst, but still, I'm sorry for the wait. I struggled a little with this chapter, and I am still sort of figuring out where I am going with this story, but I intend to continue it. I hope you can be patient with me and that you will keep reading.

Also, a big Shout-Out to Starfiction123 for her stories and keeping Jemily alive since the show ended. You Are Awesome!

To Those Who Reviewed:

Melina's Review of Chapter 9 from August 31st, 2015

I am glad you loved this chapter. Sorry that I did not update soon. You will definitely see more of Aiden flashbacks in this chapter, and there is some good Nolan stuff in here to. Not necessarily the reactions you're looking for, but those will come. Thank you for answering my question. You should write those then. Thank you for reviewing.

Revisión de Melina del capítulo 9 del 31 de agosto 2015

Me alegro de que amaba este capítulo. Lo sentimos que no actualizo pronto. Allí podrá ver más de flashbacks Aiden en este capítulo, y hay algunas cosas buenas Nolan aquí para hacer. no necesariamente las reacciones que busca, pero los que vendrán. Gracias por responder a mi pregunta. Usted debe escribir aquellos entonces. Gracias por la revisión de ti.

Guest Who Reviewed Chapter 9 on September 3rd, 2015

I am glad you loved it.

Good to know.

We'll see.

Yea! I love when people love Charlotte, because I love Charlotte.

Thank you, and thank you for reviewing.

Melina's Review of Chapter 9 from September 7th, 2015

You are welcome.

I might do the kiss thing. I will definitely do some stuff with Daniel and the kidnapping. The flashbacks are fun to write. I am glad you are enjoying them.

Thank you for all of your suggestions. I am glad you like the story.

Thank you for reviewing again.

Revisión de Melina del capítulo 9 del 07 de septiembre 2015

Bienvenido.

Yo podría hacer lo beso. Definitivamente voy a hacer algunas cosas con Daniel y el secuestro. Los recuerdos son divertidas de escribir. Me alegro de que estén disfrutando de ellos.

Gracias por todas sus sugerencias. Me alegro de que te guste la historia.

Gracias por revisar de nuevo usted.

Simy,

Yea! I got a wow. I like getting wows.

That's nice. I am glad you are happy. And it's okay. I get behind too.

I miss it too. I've started watching Everwood, and I just miss Revenge so much. There really need to be more fanfiction for revenge coming out right now. We're all suffering withdrawals.

Yes. I don't have the DVDs yet, but I saw the scenes online, and they are cute. I get why they cut the boat one, but it was nice that it was named the infinity, and I enjoyed the other one a lot. I love deleted scenes they prolong the experience.

Thank you. I am glad you think I write them well.

As I said, I've been wanting to do that for a while. I kind of regret not making Samantha her first name, but by the time I thought of it, it was too late. It was probably better this way though.

Yes, she is still in there. We'll see more of that this chapter.

Yep. Good. I like surprising people. That's a fair assessment.

Thank you for reviewing.

Melina's Review of Chapter 9 from Sep 21st, 2015

Wow. You are reviewing this chapter quite a bit.

Thank you for your suggestions. Some of that stuff might be in this chapter a little. I'll admit, the translation is a bit confusing, but I'm doing my best to understand it. I'll try to include what I can.

Thank you for reviewing again.

Revisión de Melina del capítulo 9 del 21 de septiembre 2015

Guau. Usted está opinando sobre este capítulo un poco.

Gracias por tus sugerencias. Algunas de esas cosas puede haber en este capítulo un poco. Admito, la traducción es un poco confuso, pero estoy haciendo mi mejor esfuerzo para entenderlo. Voy a tratar de incluir lo que pueda.

Gracias por revisar de nuevo usted.

Guest Who Reviewed Chapter 9 on Sep 22nd, 2015

Thank you. I am glad you love it and think it is amazing.

Here is the update.

All good things in time.

Thank you, and thank you for reviewing.

Chapter Ten

"I've got a stick for you." I said, holding the rolled up piece of paper out to her friend. The girl ran to me on all fours like a child learning to walk, but it seemed perfectly normal. I didn't question it. Why should it?

She jumps up when she reaches me and I hand her the paper. I pet her hair as she smiles at me in adoration. "Good girl, Amanda. Good girl." I say, petting her. I hear barking in the background and turn around to see where it's coming from.

Then we're in a hotel room. "Who was Sammy?" I ask her. She shrugs her shoulders. "He was your dog Amanda." I say, irritated.

She winces a little, "Sorry. Right. Sammy was my dog." She says it so matter-of-fact. That'll never work.

"So, tell me about him?" She looks down at her shoes, "Are you even taking this seriously?" I ask, standing. I know my voice went up a few octaves, but I can't help it. I can't afford to be sloppy. She needs to be perfect.

"I'm trying, okay." She says, standing as well, "We've only been at it for a few days. I wasn't exactly top-of-my-class, ya know?"

Sighing, I grab her wrist and make her meet my eyes, "You need to get this." My voice is firm, but I'm careful to keep it quiet, gentle. I'm frustrated, but that's not what she needs to see. She needs support and compassion. She doesn't respond well when it comes to other people's expectations of her. "Sammy wasn't just your dog; he was your best friend. He was a birthday gift from your dad, and you fell in love with him before the bow was removed. You loved to play in the sand with him. He was jumpy and full of life, and you would tease him about it. He was your best friend." I feel my eyes start to water. I need to get to Japan soon; I can't wear my emotions on my sleeve like this.

She reaches up and touches my cheek, wiping away a stray tear.

"I'm sorry. I know this must be hard for you." She says. I let her hug me before we continue.

"All right," I say, "Now, who was Sammy?"

"Sammy was the best dog I could have asked for. He was such a good friend. I loved him so much. Nothing made me happier than playing with him."

I smile, nodding, "Oscar Amanda, Oscar." She smiles at my praise. I give her a moment to bask in it, "Now, tell me about Jack."

When Emily wakes up, she is surprised to find that she is alone. She glances at the clock and shoots up out of bed. It's after 1:00 in the afternoon.

Quickly, she makes her way downstairs. Charlotte is snuggling with Javier on the couch.

"You're up." She says when she spots her sister-in-law.

"Yeah. Sorry to interrupt, but how come nobody woke me?" It wasn't like Emily to sleep in. She didn't like it. It felt unnatural. And she had so much to do.

"You never take a me-day, and you're pregnant now. You should get to sleep in a little." Charlotte said, disentangling herself from Javier who made cute little noises of protest.

"I have to go to the store, start cooking, clean the place up. It's much larger than our home in Connecticut, which means it will take twice as long to clean, if not more. And I have to check in at home with the PTA-"

Charlotte walked over to Emily and grabbed her hands, "Whoa, Emily, slow down, okay. You have plenty of time. And I can help out."

"You're getting married."

"Not just yet … I don't have to go into helpless bride mode today, and I said I'd help with dinner. Why don't you do the shopping and I'll take care of the cleaning. I grew up in this place so I know it pretty well."

Emily nodded, "Okay. I guess I should get going. Where's Daniel?"

"He took Paige to The Stowaway. She and Carl have a play-date."

Emily nodded, "That's right. Okay. I'll be on my cell if you need me."

"So…" Jack said, rocking back and forth on his toes a little. The situation defined awkward. Emily had been busy, and Paige wanted to play with Carl. Jack didn't want the kids alone with Daniel, and Daniel certainly wasn't going to lose any more ground to Jack. Charlotte had suggested a compromise. That's how they found themselves standing side by side as they watched their kids climb all over the park jungle gym.

"We don't have to talk to each other." Daniel said. He didn't say it harshly, and even if he had, Jack wouldn't blame him. He didn't really want to talk either.

"I know we don't have to, but we have been standing here doing nothing for the past half-hour. You can't tell me you don't feel a little awkward with everything we're not saying."

Daniel shrugged, "We're not doing nothing. We're watching our kids."

Jack nodded, "Yeah."

Carl was leading an eager Carl all over the park. He knew the place well, because it was his park, but Paige, no doubt, had a new way to look at it that was blowing little Carl's mind.

"We are going to have to figure this out though. I mean, the kids are crazy about each other."

"Carl seems like a decent kid." Daniel conceded. "But Emily and I don't live around here-"

"And you can't deny that they'll both be heartbroken if they never see each other again." Daniel didn't say anything, but his wince told Jack that Daniel had thought about this more than he wanted to let on, "You seem like a good dad. I know you want what's best for your daughter-"

"What's best for our kids isn't always what they want." Daniel interrupted.

"True. But being friends isn't going to hurt them."

Daniel shook his head, "I'm not sure about that. Let's put our cards on the table. I don't trust you. And you don't trust me, even though I've never done anything to you-"

Jack snorted, "Seriously?"

"Emily chose me all on her own."

"I'm not talking about Emily," Jack said, lowering his voice, "I'm talking about my family. It's missing a member in case you hadn't noticed."

"I had nothing to do with what happened to your wife-"

"Certain members of your family may be able to stay out of jail for their crimes, but that doesn't mean we're all blind. I just decided that giving my son a good life was more important than trying to take down a man who was untouchable."

Daniel paused. He seemed to be considering. Jack felt like maybe he'd struck a nerve. He knew Daniel wasn't responsible for what happened to Carl's mother, but they both knew who was, and Daniel had done nothing to stop it or to expose his father. Was it possible he was actually feeling guilt?

"I'm sorry you're son doesn't have a mother." Daniel said slowly. Jack could tell he was trying to be careful with his words, "I wish that hadn't happened. It wasn't fair. But I'm not responsible for it."

Jack sighed. Technically, this was true, and he had been pushing his luck already. The last thing he needed was to arise the suspicions of the Grayson patriarchs. "So what do we do about Paige and Carl?"

Emily made her way out of the store with her grocery bags. It felt good to buy some good old-fashioned produce. Running errands might be busy work, but it had helped clear her head. She started for her car when she heard a whimper. Turning, Emily was met with an adorable display. Four yellow labs were playing, crawling over one another, tugging on each other's ears.

Emily smiled. It made her think of Jack and something he said the other night. And her dream. A dog named Sammy.

"They make it look so easy."

Emily turned at the voice. It took her a minute to place the tall towheaded man, but then she remembered, "Nolan?"

"Hey Ems." He said, scratching behind his ear awkwardly. He offered her a smile, and she returned it.

"Sorry for running off the other day."

Nolan waved her comment away, "Pfft. Forget about it. It was Jack."

Emily nodded, turning back to the puppies, "So, um, what do they make look easy?"

"Oh, uh, making friends. Never came so easily to me, but look at them playing with each other." He let out an awkward cough, "Adorable, isn't it?"

She nodded again, "What about us?"

Nolan shrugged, "That's different."

"Why?"

"Our friendship was … complicated."

Emily turned to him, "As much as I love vague answers from people, I'll take a real one now please."

Nolan smiled, "Why, when you seem to remember how to play the game without any cue cards?" She tilted her head at him confused, "Look, you and I … we weren't always besties. First I had to … prove myself."

"What does that mean?"

Nolan smiled sadly, "It means I love how open and trusting Emily Grayson is, but Emily Thorne … she had a lot of walls. And moats. She was a fortress really."

"So, dropping the hyperbole, you're saying I didn't let people in easy?" Nolan nodded, "Do you know why?"

"You had a tough childhood. A lot of people betrayed you, lied to you, hurt you." He was still smiling at her, but his eyes, they looked almost pained, "Ems, I get that you want to remember, but reliving all that pain again, it won't be easy."

"You don't think I can handle it?" She deduced.

"Oh, no, I think you can handle anything. It's just … why should you have to?"

"Are you telling me not to remember?"

"I'm telling you to tread carefully. And … if you start to, to remember things, be careful who you share them with."

"I would only share them with people I trust."

Nolan winced, "I know. But Emily Grayson and Emily Thorne don't necessarily trust the same people."

Emily sighed, "If you can give me real answers, I'm grateful for them, but if you're just going to talk in circles-"

"Start with the beach house that used to belong to you. I'd imagine there are some memories there."

"Lydia and Conrad's beach house?"

Nolan winced again, "It'll always be yours, Ems. Don't let anything that's yours be taken from you."

He leaned forward and planted a kiss to her cheek. For a second, Emily had a flash of him doing the same thing as she stood in a lovely, large white dress. Then it was gone. And so was Nolan.

Emily took another glance at the window display, and then started again for her car.

"It's so romantic." I say as I watch my new sister with her soon to be husband through the window of The Stowaway. They just told us that they are engaged, which is so unbelievable. I mean, Declan and I just got back together, which is amazing, and now this added to it kind of makes this a wow week all around. I'm still getting used to having a sister, and now she's getting married!

"What, knocking up a girl, having a kid, and then getting married?" I can't help but roll my eyes at that. I love Declan, but he can be such a guy.

"I didn't mean that part." I say, putting my arms around him so they come to rest on his stomach. I lean in so my chin fits nicely between his shoulder and his head, "I mean their story."

"Char, that is their story. I'm not saying it didn't turn out okay, but … that's their story."

I shake my head a little, pulling back from Declan and twirling around. He watches me, smiling, chuckling at my antics. I love the way he watches me; it makes me feel like a princess that he can't believe picked him.

"You don't think they fell in love? It might've been messy but …"

"Yeah it was messy. She broke his heart, disappeared, and then reappeared pregnant."

"What about us? We've been messy, and I wouldn't trade a minute of it." I stop moving so that I'm facing him, "Would you?" I ask. My hearts beating pretty fast and I can't quite swallow. I don't know why, but I'm terrified that he'll say yes. I've done some pretty messed up stuff, and I brought Declan along for the ride. He's the best thing that's ever happened to me; he makes me feel like my life isn't quite as screwed up as I know it is.

"Not a minute," he says, his Adam's apply quivering. Then he kisses me, and I relax.

Still, I have to ask. "What if you knocked me up?" What can I say? I couldn't help it.

"Is there something I need to know?" He asks, and I can tell he's a little freaked.

I shake my head, laughing, "Relax, you haven't. I just … I was thinking about what you said, about Amanda and Jack. What would happen if we got pregnant?"

Surprisingly, he smiles, "Well, I wouldn't make you wait 'til the baby comes to marry you, for one." He says.

I laugh, "So you'd only marry me if I got pregnant?" I tease.

Declan shakes his head, pulling me close and rubbing his nose to mine, "If I had my way, I'd marry you the second we have our diplomas."

My eyes widen, "Did you just propose to me?"

He shakes his head, "Charlotte, we are way too young to get married. But … I love you. I know we just got back together, but I know I want you in my life. And I'm in this for the long haul. So, someday, you and me, we're gonna do that." He motions towards Jack and Amanda who are playing with Carl now. "We're gonna do it right. Someday, I'm gonna give you the world Charlotte Grayson."

My smile is so big that my cheeks hurt, and I grab his head, kissing him. Does it get any better than this?

Charlotte smiles as she fiddles with her necklace. Declan gave it to her soon after that talk; it used to be his mom's and she had left it behind. It wasn't worth much, but to Charlotte, it had meant everything. When Declan died she had stored it away in a jewelry box for safekeeping, but today, she had felt like wearing it.

Bringing Javier to Declan's grave had seemed right. She knew Declan would have wanted her to find a guy who truly loved her, and she knew Javier did. She trusted him with her heart. It wasn't the same. It would never be the same. Still, she loved him very much, and she hadn't even hesitated when he had proposed.

She figures Daniel must be back when she hears the car door slam. Little feet run through the hall and up the stairs.

"Did she have fun?"

Daniel smiles, "She had a blast. Her and Carl could play for hours."

"They're adorable." Daniel grimaces, "What?"

"Nothing. Em and I just have to figure out how to their going to see each other once we go back home."

"Right. You know, having you here, it's been almost like old times again. It sucks that you guys have to go back to Connecticut."

Daniel smiles and pulls Charlotte in for a hug, "Char, you know you can come visit us whenever."

"I know. But I've missed you. Both of you."

Charlotte feels Daniel place a kiss to her forehead. "We've missed you too. You know, you could always move to Connecticut."

Charlotte shakes her head, "Javier needs to be close to Nolan for the sake of the business. Besides, I'm not sure how I feel about leaving this house behind."

"We've gotta part with it at some point. This was mom's castle; I'd just as soon be rid of it."

Charlotte shakes her head, "Let's not talk about mom."

"Emily," Lydia says, surprise evident in her voice.

"Hello Lydia. I hope you don't mind my dropping by like this."

Lydia gives the same fake smile she always seems to give Emily, "Not at all. Is there something I can help you with?"

Emily isn't quite sure how to answer that. She isn't even sure why she's here, but Nolan's words have been ringing in her head, and she knows she needs to investigate. It's the only way she is going to get answers.

The beach house really should have been hers. Everything from after she woke up is still a blur.

I'm so confused. Nothing makes sense. I'm married? I'm pregnant? Who am I? Who is Emily Grayson? The world just keeps spinning, and I don't know where or when it will stop.

"Emily?" I look up. A blonde woman has come to see me. I don't know who she is. Should I call for help?

"Don't be scared. I'm your friend." The woman reaches out a well-manicured hand, "My name is Lydia Davis." She waits to see if the name means anything to me. It doesn't. I say nothing. "I'm you're father-in-law's fiancé. It's so horrible about Victoria, but I can't say that I'm surprised. That woman is a bitch. Still, you have my sincere sympathies."

"Victoria?" I ask, blinking, confused.

"Yes, your mother in law. The woman who … has nobody told you about this?" I shake my head. She takes a seat next to me and leans down, "Well, allow me to fill you in. Your husband's mother, Victoria, has always hated you. The police suspect that she is the one who shot you." I gasp, "Yes, I imagine it is rather shocking. Quite a piece of news." A piece of news? I don't even know how to process this. My mother-in-law tried to kill me? I can't breathe. I gasp and gasp. Lydia puts her hand on my gown above my knee, "It's okay. You're safe here. That horrible woman won't be let anywhere near you." I try to get myself under control, "You'll be just fine. You're a Grayson now, and you and I, we'll take care of each other as the newcomers to the family. Of course, I know them a great deal better than you, but I can help you. After all, you helped me."

"I-?"

"Yes, don't you remember?" then she laughs, "What am I saying, of course you don't. How silly of me. Anyway, you gave me ownership of my house back." She takes out some papers to show me, "The beach house. You owned it for some time, but it was really always mine. And Emily, I'd like you to know that I am very grateful to you for giving it back. You've made a powerful ally. Don't forget that."

"What's going on?" A nurse says. She's just come in to check on me and notices that I'm hyperventilating.

"Nothing." Lydia says, putting the papers away, "Just two good friends catching up. Feel better Emily. Conrad and I will be by to visit again soon."

Emily was never quite sure about Lydia after that. She always acted friendly, but there seemed to be something just beneath the surface that reminded her of their first meeting. Daniel hated her, but of course, Lydia had been his father's mistress, so it was hard to tell. He didn't think her and Emily had ever gotten along, but Lydia was adamant that they had been friendly, and the papers proved that Emily had in fact signed the beach house back over to Lydia.

"I've never really gotten a good look at this place." Emily said, cautiously, "It's strange. It was my home, but I hardly remember-"

"Well, I wouldn't exactly call it your home. You and Daniel built a home together, in Connecticut. This was just … a place you lived. It was more my home really. After all, I owned the property for a decade before you ever set foot in it."

"May I come in?"

"Well, now isn't the best time. Conrad hasn't gotten in yet, so it's just me, and the place is a mess. Why do you want to come in?"

"It beats standing in the threshold." Lydia fake-smiles again. "Besides, I'd like to see the place."

"Maybe another time. It was lovely seeing you." And then the door closed in Emily's face. She stood there for a few seconds, stunned. Then she turned to leave, but something drew her to the porch railing. She ran her fingers over it until she found the symbol.

Double Infinity.

It was right there, carved into the rail. Had she done that?

It took forever to get Carl to say goodbye to Paige, but eventually, he had. There was still the promise of more time spent together very soon, which would not be very hard. It was what came after soon that worried Jack. He and Daniel had not really landed on a solution. Neither one of them was going to move, and going back and forth might not be enough for the kids. Jack knew that they were working under a deadline, but the truth was, he was hoping that Emily and Paige might stay past the wedding. Paige's vote might be ignored, but Emily's wouldn't, and if she wanted to stay, she should be able to convince her husband. That was taking a big leap, but the alternative was Emily leaving again, and Jack didn't know how to deal with that. Besides, how could he help her remember if she went back to Connecticut? Clearly, Connecticut had done nothing for her memory.

The letters had helped her. Maybe the diaries … no, that was too risky. Those diaries clearly belonged to Amanda Clarke. For whatever reason, Emily's mind was not ready to make the connection to her past. She wanted to know, but something was holding her back. Something was stopping her from seeing who she was.

There was a knock at the door. Unsurprisingly, it was Nolan.

"Just thought you might want a status update on your favorite blonde."

"Emily?"

Nolan nodded, "I caught her getting nostalgic by a puppy display. You can draw your own conclusions there, but I did drop a hint or two."

Jack smiled. A puppy display. Looks like their talk about Sammy had struck a chord with the little Amanda Clarke inside Emily Grayson, "What kind of hints?"

"I mentioned that she might want to check out the beach house, see if that brought anything back. I mean, it seemed like a good bet. There are so many memories there."

"Good thinking. I just hope it's enough. The wedding's only a few days away."

"It's not until the weekend-."

"And today's Tuesday. That gives us four or five days, and you know Emily is going to be spending a lot of time prepping with Charlotte. If we're going to get through to her, we have to do it soon, because we're running out of time." Jack paused, then stood, "I won't let her out of my life again."

"Hey, you already started." Emily said, placing her purchases down on the kitchen counter. She was still reeling from her visit to the beach house, but she had a dinner to put on the table. What she hadn't expected was to come back to Grayson Manor and find Charlotte in an apron attempting to pull apart garlic.

"I said I was going to help, and I am. What's the trick to this?" Emily smiled and came over to show her sister-in-law. "Thanks."

"No problem. How did you know we needed garlic?"

"Well, I saw the menu you wrote in your day planner, and then I tracked down on of the recipes."

"I'm impressed. Especially since I had my day planner with me."

"Yeah, well, I kind of hacked it. I didn't think you would mind."

Emily arched an eyebrow, "I didn't know you knew how to do that."

"It's a recent thing. Javier's been teaching me; he says it's a handy skill. I mean, I'd never use it to do something illegal, but, like hacking your day planner-"

"It's okay." Emily said, cutting her off, "I'm not mad. It was sweet of you, not to mention resourceful."

Charlotte smiled, "So, give me a task."

"All right. How about you wash and chop these?" Charlotte nodded and got to work. "So, other than tapping into my day planner, what do you plan to do with this new skill?"

"Well, I wouldn't call it a skill just yet. I'm still a novice compared to Javier or Nolan."

"Still, you must have wanted to learn for some reason."

"It was Javier's idea. He said he loves being my knight in shining armor, but having a sexy ninja who can do computer-fu is way hotter than some damsel who needs to be rescued."

Emily chuckled, "I take it you're not paraphrasing."

"He has a way of saying things that's just so adorable. Chivalry meets the twenty-first century. It's very hot."

"It's good you think so, since you're marrying him in four days. Are you nervous?"

"Honestly? Terrified, but I think I'm supposed to be. I mean, you were nervous before your wedding, right?" Charlotte's eyes widened and her hand went to her now open mouth. "Emily, I'm so sorry. That just slipped-"

"It's okay." Emily said with a grimace, "How was I, before my wedding?"

"Honestly?" Emily nodded, "Well, things had been kind of off. You and my brother had been having some issues, but you acted like you had everything under control. Then, of course, life threw the little pregnancy curve ball your way …" Emily nodded, closing her eyes, trying to picture it, "What's Daniel told you, about the days leading up to the wedding?"

"We haven't discussed it in detail. I know that we hired Sara Munello as the caterer because Daniel was trying to make amends with her. He said I had inspired him to do that."

Charlotte smiled, but the smile seemed somewhat forced to Emily, "Charlotte, what is it?"

Charlotte shook her head, "Nothing. It's nothing, really. I'm just … I'm really glad that you and my brother got married. You overcame every obstacle, it's really inspiring." Charlotte put her knife down and hugged Emily who reciprocated. Still, something didn't ring true. Nolan's words from earlier ran through Emily's head, Emily Grayson and Emily Thorne don't necessarily trust the same people. Emily knew she could trust Charlotte, but she had a feeling that Charlotte was hiding something from her. Asking more question didn't seem like the way to get answers though, not right here and not right now. But she would get answers.

"I'm trying to give you the answers you're looking for. Don't you understand, I'm the only one being honest with you?"

The harsh waves banged and crashed against the boat. That only amplified the anger in Aiden's voice, which was harsher than any storm I could imagine. His eyes were so wide that I thought they might pop out of their sockets. He continued to stare at me, manic, desperate, willing me to see what he saw. But I didn't. I didn't see it. All I could see was a mad man who had kidnapped my baby and I.

We have been at sea for days now. Aiden said we were going to Japan, but who knew if he was telling the truth, or how long it would take to get there if her were. I haven't seen my baby in far too long. I need to see my baby. I need to get her to safety.

"Please," I say. I know it will have no affect on him. My pleas have fallen on deaf ears up until now. But I have to try to get through to him. This man that says he loves me, I have to make him see that what he's doing is insane. I have to get Paige. I have to get us home, "Please just let us go."

"The woman I know would never break down like this."

I want to hide my face; I hate that he's seeing me cry. I don't want to show him weakness, but it's so hard. I've tried so hard to be strong. My abdomen aches, whether from pain, or worry for Paige, I don't know. But it's all bubbling up, and I'm scared. It's hard to keep on hoping.

"You have a child." He says, "You would never give up on your child, on our child."

It's as if he's read my mind somehow. He knows that I want to give up, that I want to collapse into my tears and my pain until the sea washes me away like it almost did once before.

"You don't give up. You don't give into fear, you don't run from it. You run towards it like the brave woman you are, and you let it make you stronger."

He pulls something out of his coat. It's black and small and it makes my blood run cold. For a second, my mind doesn't process what he's pointing at me. And then it does.

He's pointing a gun at me.

He's still talking, but I can't hear him over the blood pulsing in my ears. And then I realize that he's right. He's crazy, but he's right. I can't die. I can't give up. I have Paige. I have a baby that I love and that needs me and there has to be a way to save us.

I see him pull the trigger, once, twice. I wait for the pain, but it doesn't come. He's still talking, and I still can't make it out. I just know that this scene is so familiar to me. Daniel's face pops into my head, and I think of Paige, our child, and how innocent she is.

And then I start to think like a crazy person, because it doesn't matter. He's already shot me, even if I can't feel it. I can't save myself, but if I can get the gun away from him, maybe I can save my baby girl.

I lunge at him, not sure what I'm doing, thinking of Paige and only of Paige. I punch him, and I feel as if I've been here before. I've punched this man before. I punch his again, and again. And then the gun is in my hands. I aim it at him, my hand shaking.

I don't know if I have it in me to pull the trigger. Does it matter anymore?

Then he's lying there, smiling, laughing through the blood on his face, and I stagger back.

His words from before start to process in my head.

"I would never hurt you." He said, as he pointed a gun at me, "But somebody has. Maybe somebody you trust. And it wasn't Victoria. Think Emily. Where are you right now?" I see it again in my head, like watching a movie. He pulled the trigger and said, "You see, it wasn't loaded. But that fear … you've been here before Emily, with this very gun, and if you can stop repressing that moment, maybe it'll all come back. Maybe you'll come back to me."

I hit his face with the side of the gun and drop it to the floor. He laughs again, "Maniac!" I yell at him.

"You fought back brilliantly." He says, like he's proud of me, "That's you're training. You're no socialite, Emily. No spoiled rich girl could've gotten that gun away from me."

"My child's life was at risk." I say, because I know he's too insane for this logical explanation to come to him naturally.

"Our child."

"Stop saying that!" I scream, hitting him with the butt of the gun again. And again.

"Make me a punching bag Emily Thorne." He says as he struggles for breath, "Abuse me all you want, but I promised you that I would never leave you alone in this. I'm yours to do with as you will. And I will do whatever it takes to make you remember that you love me."

"You're trying to make me like you." I say, backing away from him, "You're trying to make me violent. You want to turn me into a maniac too."

"Violence isn't insanity. And all you're showing is strength. You and I fell in love because we were strong enough not to give up on those we love."

"I don't love you!" I scream. He winces, but only for a second. He's used to this from me, and it can't hurt worse than the physical pain. Can it?

"Emily?" Her eyes snap up to see Charlotte staring at her.

"Sorry, I was just, um, I was just thinking."

Charlotte quirked an eyebrow, "About?"

"It doesn't matter."

It was paranoia. Lydia knew that that was all it was. She was just being silly. After all, what threat did Emily Grayson pose to her? True, once the woman had been an opponent. She had risen to Hamptons royalty at the exact time that Lydia had fallen from grace, and Lydia was too smart to see that as a coincidence. She knew that Emily was a conniving liar from the moment the girl had "accidentally" revealed her affair with Conrad to Victoria. But now she was married to Conrad, Victoria was behind bars, and Emily only had six years worth of memories. She was living out her days playing soccer mom in Connecticut while Lydia got to be queen of the Hamptons.

True, there was Charlotte, but she was not the socialite her mother had been. Charlotte preferred to go by the name of Clarke and to marry a reformed convict. She had no vision when it came to controlling the Hamptons. Meanwhile, Lydia was now the reigning Mrs. Grayson. She had the life she had always wanted.

But her life had been near perfect before. She was second in command to Victoria, and carrying on in private with Conrad. She had thought herself untouchable, and Emily Thorne had destroyed that. Now the girl was back, and taking particular interest in the beach house. But she would not take from Lydia again; her brain was too empty now.

No, Lydia was just being paranoid. Still, it never hurt to take precautions.

"Well, you guys better be hungry, because I'm exhausted."

"Honey, you cooked?" Javier said, mockingly.

"Shut up." Charlotte replied, her eyes twinkling.

"I think it looks great," said Daniel, kissing Emily's cheek after he did.

"Well Emily, I see you have him well trained." Charlotte slapped Javier playfully.

"Eat up everyone." Emily said.

"That was nice, dinner tonight." Javier said.

Charlotte rolled over in bed to face him, "Don't think I'm going to be cooking for you all the time. I'm a modern woman, you know."

Javier kissed her bare shoulder, "And I wouldn't have you any other way."

"Good answer."

"It's insane, isn't. I mean, soon, those people will be my family."

"Those people?" Charlotte asked in mock-offense.

"You know what I mean. I'm being Graysoned-"

"No, that's where they shoot or arrest one of us."

"Well, I did learn a lot from my time in lock-up." Javier said thoughtfully, "Still, I think I'm happier here."

Charlotte laughed, "You don't say. What does it for you? The fancy bedspread? The lack of bars?"

Javier looked at her, "You." He said.

Charlotte kissed him, "You are so cheesy."

"Hey, at least I didn't make a joke about bedspreads and bondage. Besides, it's true. You're amazing Char."

She kissed him again. She kept kissing him. She would never stop kissing him. If she had her way, she would never have to.

Jack was surprised to find a nervous Emily on his doorstep, but he tried not to show it. Whatever kept her coming back was fine with him. And wasn't that a familiar feeling?

"Did you know that I was abducted?" Emily blurt out as she walked past him into his home.

"What?"

She turned to face him, crossing her arms over her chest, "Yeah. By a man name Aiden Mathis. It was just after Paige was born." Jack nodded. He knew, of course. Other than the fact that he had known Aiden, and Nolan had been frantic, it had made all the papers.

Jack had never loved Aiden. The guy had been dangerous, unpredictable. Plus, if he was being honest, there was some jealousy there. Emily had been in love with Aiden. There was no denying that. Still, for some reason, Aiden hadn't been able to make her remember. Jack just wished he knew where Aiden went wrong. He dreaded making the same mistakes Aiden had made. If he did, he could lose Emily forever.

"I don't know who I was when I was out there. He pushed me, and for a minute, I think maybe I broke." Emily clenched her eyes, and Jack reached for her hand. He didn't take it though. She didn't need him to. He would know if she did. He always knew that sort of thing. "He told me that everybody else was lying to me, that I wasn't who everybody was telling me I was. I didn't want to believe him."

"Emily, are you trying to ask me something?"

"I just … some things about my life don't seem to add up as much as I thought they did. I'm beginning to wonder if I know myself at all."

Jack smiled, "Memories may be missing, but the person you are at your core, she's shined through. I've seen her. Nolan's seen her. She's there."

"What if I don't want her to be? What if I'm not, or wasn't, the kind of person I would want to be?"

"Em-"

"Don't try to reassure me." She snapped. Then she began pacing, "Don't tell me that I'm perfect and wonderful and that I'm being crazy, because I know there's more to it than that."

"You're right." Emily stopped pacing. She looked at Jack, surprised, "There is more to it than that. But pushing you isn't going to help you remember. You need to want to."

"Of course I want to-"

"Are you sure? Are you sure you're ready to embrace who Emily Thorne really was?"

Emily shook her head. She sunk to the floor, tears streaming from her eyes. Her head seemed to fall of it's own accord, her forehead coming to rest on her knees. Jack knelt down next to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. After a minute, she looked up at him, "I'm scared, Jack. I'm scared of who I was." Not knowing what to say, Jack gave her a small smile. She brought her arm up and wiped her cheeks. When she spoke again, her voice was more measured, "It's to do with my childhood, isn't it? My family? Daniel and Charlotte always say that I never shared much about it. I thought it was just painful, but that's not it, is it? I was hiding something."

Jack nodded, "You were."

"Why? Why not trust Daniel and Charlotte with my past?"

"Some people, you lied to because you couldn't trust them. Others, you lied to because you were trying to protect them."

"And you? Why didn't I lie to you?"

"You did. For two years, you lied to me, but then -" something flashed across Emily's face, "Emily?"

"Have we had this conversation before?"

"What?"

" 'Two years and I bet you laughed at me every time I questioned you. You just fed me more of your lies.' Did you say that to me?"

Jack shook his head, "I was angry, but I didn't say that."

"What did you say? What happened between us?"

"I … I was angry, grieving my brother and my wife. I was about to do something stupid, and you knew telling me the truth was the only way to stop me."

Emily shook her head, "Nothing makes any sense." She said, leaning her head on Jack's hand, which was still on her shoulder, "And I'm getting a head-ache."

Jack looked down at her head on his hand, unsure what to do, "I can get you some aspirin."

Emily let out a dry laugh, "Yeah, right." She moved her head so that her chin was now resting on his hand, and she was facing him, "Thank you for being her Jack."

"Always."

And he meant it.

The sat like that for a while, just looking at each other. Jack's hand fell asleep but her ignored it.

"Daddy?" A tiny voice said behind them, "What are you doing up?"

Emily and Jack both stood up quickly. Jack felt like a teenager being caught by his dad with a girl he liked. It wasn't actually that far from the truth.

"Hey buddy. Bad dream?"

Carl shook his head, "I had to pee. Why's Paige's mom here?"

"I was just … dropping something off. But it's really late, and I should be going."

"Why don't you head back upstairs. I'll come and check on you in a minute."

Carl shrugged and headed back upstairs. Jack turned to Emily, and let out an awkward chuckle. "I'm sorry about that."

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come over like this. It's late, and I just -"

"It's okay. You can come over any time."

Emily nodded, "Still, I should go. Daniel might wake up and wonder where I've gone."

"You … you didn't tell him you were coming here?" Jack asked, his heart speeding up.

Emily flushed, "I just … didn't want to wake him. I couldn't sleep and … I shouldn't have come-"

"No, you should have." He took her hand in his, lacing her fingers carefully with his own, "Thank you." It was a breath. A prayer. He didn't know what it was. But she seemed to understand. She nodded and he let go of her hand. Then she disappeared out the door. It was like a dream, but Jack knew it wasn't, and he couldn't be happier with that fact if he tried.

Author's Note: So, as I said at the beginning, I had a lot of trouble with this chapter. I wasn't sure what exactly I wanted Emily doing, and the dream-sequence got rewritten a couple times. Originally it kind of went into her feelings for Jack, but it's mostly supposed to be about Sammy and kind of about Amanda. And by Amanda, I mean both Amandas.

She's starting to wake up that things aren't what she thinks they are, but it's still a far leap to "I'm Amanda Clarke." It might take some time to get there.

I can't really explain the Declan/Charlotte scene expect I was feeling nostalgic and missing him and them, and I figure, when you're getting married to the second great love of your life, you would think about the first one that you lost. I did have to look online and refresh my memory about what was going on with Declan and Charlotte when Jack proposed, but that's what the Internet is for. I really need to get those DVDs.

I really wanted to use some of Emily's touchstones like Sammy, the beach house, double infinity. I did my best to incorporate those.

I hope you guys enjoyed the Aiden scene. Remember, the gun was not loaded. He would never point a loaded gun at her. He was just trying to scare her and jar her memories of the shooting. It feels like something he might do, but if you feel it was out of character, let me know.

We had a lot of couples this chapter, Aimily, Jemily, Charlotte/Declan, and Charlotte/Javier. I know there was not a lot of Demily, but there will be more to come.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and continue to read and review.