Standing by the side of the dirt road Dinah looked out at the wide expanse of green in front of her, the smell of flowers freshly in bloom reminded her that even in the darkest of moments new life could still overcome anything.

"Except me," she whispered sadly under her breath.

A part of her was still wondering why she had agreed to come away with him, but he had asked her to trust him and, in that moment, she knew that maybe trusting someone else, someone who genuinely cared about her would be good for her right now.

After a short argument about whether or not they would take her car or his bike – an argument that she had eventually won, after explaining that she didn't think riding behind him on the bike was good for her in her current state she had packed a few essential items, left a scribbled note for Edmund telling him she needed time and a voicemail for Ross explaining that she needed to get away and followed Jonathan into the unknown.

They had driven through the night, only stopping at a roadside café to get coffee for her and waffles for him. Dinah no longer feeling guilty about her caffeine intake.

"This place is amazing," Dinah observed as she took in the small secluded wooded cabin surrounded by slowly blooming trees and frost-covered grass that almost sparkled as the sun started to break through the trees, signaling the start of a new day.

"I haven't been here in years," Jonathan shrugged. "I thought it might be good, somewhere secluded, quiet and that no one in Springfield knows about," he explained as he watched her walk over to the rickety wooden porch swing and place the small overnight bag down by her feet.

Squinting through the trees she closed her eyes and listened, the sound of a small stream running through them bringing a smile to her face.

"You know sometimes I fantasize about starting over, about going somewhere no one knows who I am, my past and the things that I have done, I even dream about being someone else you know … not like with Cassie in Europe because despite what people might think that was about surviving, nothing more … this time it would be about letting go of the past and everything that it carries with it … it gets a bit heavy sometimes you know, carrying all of that around," she told him, realizing that in the last few days she had shared more of herself with him than she ever had with anyone else.

He knew things about her that not even her father knew.

He knew that the miscarriage in Europe had been so much more than that, that she had given birth to a tiny little girl that just like Laura never even had the chance to take a breath.

He knew that she carried around a guilt so large that most nights she would wake up gasping for breath, begging the memories to leave her alone and let her move on.

He also knew that a part of her was grateful for the pain because it reminded her that she was still alive and that she was still here when most days it felt like she was just existing.

"Here," Jonathan offered, handing her a steaming cup of hot chocolate.

"Hot chocolate, how very quaint of you," Dinah teased.

There was a lightness to her voice that Jonathan had not heard in a long time that gave him the final confirmation he needed that he had done the right thing, that convincing her to come away with him was exactly what she needed, and maybe it would be good for him too.

Perhaps this would be the reset they both needed to figure out their place in this world and the relationships they wanted to save and those that needed to be severed, because all they did was cause pain and devastation.

"There's something about this place," Dinah breathed, the morning air so cold that her breath fogged as she spoke. "Something … hopeful."

"This place belonged to my mother, adoptive mother," Jonathan explained, his voice catching in a way Dinah had not heard before. "She used to make me hot chocolate every morning when we stayed here, she said it was the only way to start the day."

Dinah curled her legs up under her as Jonathan watched her shiver against the chilly air, quickly, he made his way back inside and located a thick, multicolored blanket. Sitting down next to her he kept a small space between them, not knowing how much intimacy she was ready for yet; her face still pale and her hands shaky, he placed the blanket over their laps.

Pulling the blanket around her lap Dinah smiled as she watched him mirror her movements before taking a sip of his own drink. "You know, you're not the monster you want people to think you are."

"Life is easier if people have no expectations of who you are, if they think the worst of you then you can't disappoint them," he sighed, leaning back against the swing as the old wood and metal creaked in protest.

Dinah could understand where he was coming from, but the frightened little girl inside of her that still wanted to believe in happy endings couldn't imagine always living your life that way. "There has to someone you trust?"

"I trusted her," Jonathan finally admitted.

"Your mother?" Dinah wondered.

Jonathan nodded. "She was a good person, she loved me, she wanted me and she tried her hardest to protect me from the truth of … what he was doing to her."

"I'm sorry," Dinah whispered, whilst her childhood had hardly been picture-perfect she couldn't imagine what it must have been like to spend every night terrified of the one person that was supposed to protect you from the evils of the world, not become the monster in your dreams.

Jonathan looked out across the trees. "We all have our ghosts D."

"Yeah," Dinah sighed, not knowing what else to say.

As he watched the sun start to finally rise above the trees, it's yellow and orange rays reflecting brightly off of the tiny stream he wondered what it was about Dinah that made him want to be a better version of himself.

"You know … you and I are a lot alike Dinahmite," he observed as he felt her eyes wander over him.

"Messed up, hated, self-destructive …"

A bitter, tired laugh escaped Jonathan's lips before he could stop it. "Yes, to all of that. But that wasn't what I was talking about …."

"Then what?" Dinah prompted him when he didn't continue.

Turning around so that he was sitting sideways on the swing he cradled the mug in his lap, waiting for her to turn and face him. "We both had our lives stolen from us. I mean think about it … I am the son of a Prince and Reva Shayne, she who is loved and respected by all. You are the daughter of Vanessa Chamberlain and Ross Marler, two upstanding pillars of the community who both come from more money than most people could even dream about … yet …"

"Think of the life we could have had D, think of how different things would have been if our parents loved us enough to keep us … I know they think they did what they did for the best of us … I have heard that tired old excuse so many times that it makes me sick to my stomach … I'm sure you have too … but just imagine it … imagine how different things would have been … would we still be who we are or would we be totally different people. Maybe I would be a lawyer and you would be a schoolteacher; we could have a white picket fence and the perfect golden dog …"

"Or maybe our lives would be just as messed up as they are now," Dinah bitterly pointed out. "Money doesn't always equal happiness."

Jonathan leaned closer to her. "It wasn't the money that I think would have made the difference."

"We would have been raised by people who loved us enough to keep us," Dinah's words were barely audible above the sudden gust of wind that rattled through the trees.

Twisting his head, Jonathan watched the trees stand tall against the wind, their long almost bare branches bending a little before standing back straight. "You know D, I don't think you're as broken as you think you are."

"I feel pretty broken right now," she honestly admitted.

"But it's not forever," Jonathan pointed out.

Dinah placed a shaky hand on her now empty stomach. "Every time I think I have something, something that will make me feel … something … I ruin it."

"That baby never would have been yours though, I know it might be hard to see now but in however many months you would have had to hand it over to Uncle Eddie and the perfect Princess Cassie, do you really think you would have been ok with that?" Jonathan asked her, needing her to see that even though it may not seem like it now maybe things had turned out how they were supposed to.

"This baby was my redemption, my chance to show everyone that I am someone that matters," Dinah explained, unable to put exactly what it was she was hoping for into words.

"You don't need to lose yourself to find that," Jonathan told her, watching as she seemed to consider his words for a few seconds before taking another sip from the mug that was held so tightly in her hands her knuckles were starting to turn white.

Dinah inhaled deeply, her chest shaking with the emotion she was feeling right now. "If you're right, if that's true then what kind of monster does that make me … what sort of person is relieved that …"

"You didn't cause this D, no matter how powerful you might think your thoughts are you did not wish this into happening, no one is that powerful, these things just happen, even I know enough to know that," Jonathan tried to reassure her.

"That would be really simple, if I could just absolve myself of all of the blame," she stuttered, desperately trying to keep the tears from falling, she was tired of crying, tired of feeling like this.

Reaching out Jonathan finally took her hand in his. "Dinah," he started, using her real name as he watched a single tear fall from shining eyes. "You don't need redemption, not this way, I know you have done some things in your past that you think you can never be forgiven for, but that's not true, those hypocrites in Springfield have all made mistakes, they have all hurt people, broken laws, broken hearts … but you know what … you are better than them already because you own your mistakes, you don't walk around like you have never wronged anyone … that already makes you a better person than most of them."

"I wish I could believe that," she cried.

"You and me D, we are probably the only honest people in that town, don't let them tear you down because … there's a fire in you that should always burn … seeing you like this makes me want to hunt down every person that has ever hurt you and make them pay," Jonathan declared, not knowing what it was but realizing that there was something about being here, away from all distractions, all outside voices and other people's opinions that made him feel open, honest and free to be who he wanted to be.

Lifting her eyes, she gasped slightly as tear-stained green met tear-stained brown. "What's happening here?"

"I don't know," Jonathan admitted, reaching out and wiping away her tears as she lifted a shaky hand to wipe at his face.

"Neither do I," she whispered.

Running his thumb gently under her eye he smiled softly, a smile that was mirrored on her own lips. "D, when I am with you, I feel alive and usually that would scare me, and I would blow it all up before it had the chance to blow up on its own. But here, right now, I'm not scared."

"I'm not scared either," Dinah breathed, a tiny ghost of a smile crossing her lips as she leaned into his touch and closed her eyes, allowing herself to believe for the first time since this whole mess started that maybe, just maybe everything would be ok.