However, the next morning, Emma awoke to find Alec had sent her a text at six o'clock to apologise for cancelling. She found out why when she opened her door and saw what was on the front page of the Herald. Jack Marshall. Emma could imagine the uproar the station was in as they struggled to contain and properly investigate Jack, but that thought was very far down in her mind as she read the article quickly and angrily.

Instead, as soon as she'd read the article's contents, Emma was out of her house and in her car. Paper still clutched in hand, Emma drove up to her destination just in time to see familiar coifed brown hair and long, wavy black-hair disappearing inside the Echo. The unbalanced pair at the door didn't notice as Emma cut her car engines as soon as she was parked; they did however turn when Emma stormed inside, throwing the door open in her anger. Olly's face was filled with confusion, confusion that only grew when he saw how red-faced Emma was. But Karen was oddly calm as she surveyed the woman storming toward her while the door banged shut behind her.

"What the hell is this?"

Emma thrust the paper in Karen's face before throwing it at the other woman. Karen caught the paper but she didn't move her cool gaze away from Emma's as the blonde woman glared at her viciously.

"It's news."

"It's TRASH!"

Olly jumped as Emma yelled. It was probably a good thing it was early enough that the office was otherwise empty aside from Maggie, who had come to the door of her office by that point. She watched worriedly although she remained uninvolved, just watching and listening while Emma continued to snap at Karen.

"You know, I don't know why I'm so surprised. You're all the same, always, no exceptions, all of you. Pretending to be the voice for people, pretending like you're making the world a better place, pretending like you're above us all, when really you're the lowest of the low, taking people's vulnerabilities and throwing it out for the world to see! I shouldn't be surprised because I know all this about people like you, but you know what, I am."

Karen's face had hardened but Emma didn't care.

"I'm surprised by just how sickening a person can be, by just how far they are willing to stoop down just to get a day's recognition, by how disgustingly a human can treat another human just like them."

"Excuse me, I am nothing like that man." Karen interrupted. "Maybe you are, but don't lump me in with a man like him."

"Oh, excuse me, you're right. He's so much BETTER than you!" Emma yelled at Karen, whose eyes went cold at the pure hatred that shone in Emma's brown ones. "Jack would never spread gossip around town let alone around the county, never has even though he runs a paper shop! He would rather speak well of someone, would rather pass along congratulations or praise, than pick at their faults!"

"Em!"

Olly tried to cut in, looking distinctly uncomfortable as Karen continued stare back at Emma. The black-haired woman was trying to appear cool as a cucumber in the face of Emma's rage but they could all see the way she was tensed, her hands fisted where they were crossed across her chest defensively.

"Look," Olly tried to pacify Emma, "that article is a bit of a misrepresentation of what we wrote but it's still true. Why're you defending him, have you even read-?"

"Oh, believe me, I did, Oliver!"

Emma's stern and sharp tone silenced Olly momentarily, as did the flame in her brown eyes when she swung around to glare at him next.

"I read it because I wanted to know EXACTLY what it was that you had dug up about one of our community that you would stitch him up like this. I wanted to know what you thought JUSTIFIED throwing an elderly gentleman to the wolves to be slaughtered. I wanted to believe there might just be a chance that you weren't being selfish like HER!"

"Well, you can't have read it right then, because it's right there, Em-"

"What's there, Olly?! That he was once charged with having sex with a minor? Where's the description of the charge, where's his sentence, his time served, his release terms? Because, clearly, he was goddamn released!"

Olly stared, his lips parting just a little in shock as Emma railed into him.

"You have absolutely nothing in there! It may as well have been a trashy gossip magazine for all the supposed details you included! You made one mention of his charge then filled the rest of the article with private details of his life and worst of all, you've made wild assumptions to link him to Danny! Do you even realize what you've done?! Do you realize what Jack's going to go through now that this is out, the fire you've stoked underneath him? Did you think for a second about if you were wrong, if he was innocent?!"

"We're not wrong, he was definitely charged-"

"Oh my god, Olly! You realize Mark could have been charged with sex with a minor? Beth was pregnant at fifteen when Mark was seventeen; if Liz had chosen to file, Mark would have had the exact same charge slapped onto his records for life as well!"

Olly was silenced once again while Emma shouted at him.

"You were always one for mischief but this is crossing the line, Oliver! You have ruined a man, all for a bit of gossip! Do you even know if he was charged with sex with a boy? Do you?!"

Olly glanced uneasily at Karen, whose lips had thinned by this point as she stared at Emma wordlessly.

"I asked you a question, Oliver!"

"It just said it was a minor." Olly mumbled.

"So then why, in GOD'S name, did you link him to Danny?!"

"I think you should leave now, Miss Symons." Karen cut in as Olly looked down, looking and feeling embarrassed, angry and afraid. "You are causing a disturbance-"

"Oh, you know better than I do that I'm doing a LOT less than what Jack is going to be subjected to! And don't you dare take that high tone with me, Karen White, not after what you've done. You, who pretended to care about Beth, about Danny, about the Latimers; and look what you've done!"

"They deserved to know." Karen replied evenly, contrasting to Emma's hot temper.

"To know WHAT exactly?! To know that there was someone with a prior conviction living nearby? Why? Who does that help? All you've done is put horrific and currently unproven thoughts into their heads. Images that they do NOT need right now! And don't you dare play dumb, you're no amateur like Olly."

Olly jerked at the insult and he opened his mouth to argue but Emma didn't give him the chance to speak.

"You know exactly how this kind of news will affect people like Beth and Mark and you know EXACTLY how it will affect people like Jack! People are itching for someone to blame, they need someone to pin this on so they can feel like they can move on, and you've gone ahead and given them a juicy target on a platter!"

"Well, we wouldn't have had to if the police-"

"Oh, f*ck you, Oliver!"

Olly's mouth dropped open; he'd never heard Emma swear before. Maggie looked just as shocked; she dropped the pen she'd been holding in her mouth. The doorbell chimed behind Emma, but she didn't care who it might be as she continued to yell.

"I'd love to see you, and your delightful Karen here, go live just one week in the detective's office and then you can tell me the police are moving slowly or not producing results! They're not like you, they can't just point at every Tom, Dick and Harry until they get it right. They have a responsibility to catch the right person, to prove it in bloody court and have the right person put away! Doing right by Danny isn't just pointing the finger at the first convenient person, it's catching the person who killed him, it's making sure there are no more Dannys!"

"We weren't pointing the finger-!" Olly began hotly but Emma scoffed.

"Weren't you? Funny, because your article sure as hell made it look like you set out to make Jack a scapegoat. But you, you're just a kid who hasn't learnt the power of words yet. You, however."

She whirled back on Karen, who just glared back.

"I hope you and all the people like you rot in Hell when you die!"

With that, she spun around. Was she surprised to see Alec and Ellie behind her? Perhaps; but she was too angry to really care as she pushed past the officers who had clearly been called by someone, probably about the disturbance. She heard at least one of them following her out but she didn't care who it was as she got in her car.

She cared a tiny bit more when Alec got in beside her.

"Get out, I want to be alone." Emma snapped as she started the ignition.

"I don't think you should be." He admitted and Emma growled.

"Fine!"

Emma pulled out of her parking spot and swung the car around, driving almost blindly away. Alec let her go, noting that even in her fury she was still going at exactly the speed limit.

"You certainly weren't serene today." He observed after a long silence.

"Shut up." Emma snapped. "I told you I hated my old name."

There was another beat of silence and Alec said, "You shouldn't have gone off on her like that."

"And she shouldn't have written that story!"

Emma skidded the car to a halt as she pulled up into a parking spot right by the beach. Without looking back, she stormed out onto the beach, which was mostly empty after all the tourists left once news of the murder spread. The reporters on Danny who had been the only ones left roaming the beaches the past few days had likely moved to hound Jack. Emma stormed out across the beach, stopping when she reached the edge just before where the tide was washing up onto the sand.

Alec followed her much more calmly. She hated that about him at the moment so she ignored him as she glared out at the sea.

"It brings it back for you, doesn't it."

It was more a statement than a question that Emma didn't bother answering. They remained in silence for a long time before Emma finally exhaled loudly.

"I'm sorry you had to be called out for that." She muttered. Alec shrugged.

"It beats listening to the phones ring incessantly at the station. They're hounding us for a comment on Jack Marshall." Alec answered and Emma scowled at the sea again. Yet another reason she despised reporters.

Alec seemed to sense what was on her mind. He reached over tentatively, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Have you had breakfast yet?"

She shook her head and he turned her to face him.

"Do you want to get some?"

"Not really." Emma muttered but Alec pulled her a step closer to him and he looked at her seriously.

"Don't let it get to you." He murmured and Emma glowered at him.

"And I suppose you didn't let it get to you?" She shot back but he surprised her.

"Yes."

Emma stared at him as Alec said seriously, "They'll keep writing things like that as long as there is an audience. You'd need to be angry with the whole world and I can tell you that's not a healthy place to be. Just let it go; you know it's not true. Let it blow over."

"I can't." Emma closed her eyes, taking in a shaky breath. "Not when it's someone I know. I keep seeing it, Alec - the shouting, the feeling like I'm being suffocated while they close in all around me, not letting me go and shoving microphones into my face, hitting me and not caring. The camera flashes blinding me wherever I turn, and it keeps repeating, it doesn't stop even when I fall-"

"Hey, hey, hey." He cupped her face in his hands and tilted her head up while ducking his head so it was level with hers, waiting for her to open her eyes before he continued. "Breathe. That was a long time ago, Emma. It's not the present."

"It is for Jack."

"It's not if he stays inside." Alec replied firmly, his eyes seeking to reassure her.

Emma took a deep, shuddering breath and exhaled before she spoke again.

"I'm going to see Jack."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Alec admitted reluctantly. "I don't believe the papers any more than you do but Marshall is still a suspect and with a conviction."

"So I can't see him?" Emma asked with a frown.

Alec looked at her seriously as he corrected, "I'm saying, don't get involved based solely on emotions. It's your decision whether to go or not but if you go now, you're going to wind up being a part of it somehow."

Alec paused before adding almost reluctantly, "I'm just worried for you."

Emma placed her hands over his against her face.

"I'll be fine."

"Will you?" He asked skeptically. "Just the picture of Jack Marshall on the front page is enough for you to relive your nightmares, you think you'll be fine if you see the circus that is likely going on outside Marshall's shop?"

Emma cringed; he had a point. Alec pressed his lips to her forehead before he pulled her so she was tucked under his chin, cradled against his chest, and he murmured into her hair, "Give it a day or two first, Emma."

Emma buried her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"Is there nothing we can do to help him?" She asked softly and Alec sighed.

"Besides the fact that he's potentially a suspect in Danny's murder, if he's not being physically harmed and if he doesn't cooperate with us, there's not much I can do." Alec answered heavily.

"He's alone, Alec." Emma said quietly. "Like I was."

He had no answer for that, at least not one she would like. The pair stayed that way for a while before Alec finally had to break away.

"I have to get back to the station." He murmured, tracing Emma's face gently. "But, I might be able to take a break tonight. If… the offer for tea is still open."

"Of course." Emma answered softly, holding his hand against her cheek for a second.

Her brown eyes were troubled and Alec felt compelled to repeat worriedly, "Don't go see him today, Emma. Please."

She stared back at him but finally nodded in agreement. Today. She would agree for one day.

Emma was on her way home after the pre-school closed when she saw a familiar blond head appearing from one of the lesser known hiking trails that came close to the road's edge. The boy's head was down and he seemed to be trailing his feet miserably, but Emma would recognise him anywhere.

"Tom?" She called after the boy as she hurried out of her car and toward him in concern.

Tom jumped and he hastily began wiping his eyes as Emma drew closer carefully.

"Tom, is everything all right?"

"Yeah, fine." Tom muttered. Emma's gaze softened and she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, it must be hard. You and Danny were so close-"

"No, we weren't!"

Emma was startled as Tom threw her hand off and he shouted at her.

"Why does everyone keep saying that?!"

"What do you mean?" Emma stared at the boy in confusion and deeper worry than before. "You and Danny have been best friends for years, Tom, I know that better than most. Why are you saying you weren't?"

Tom looked away.

"Tom?"

Tom was starting to tremble, his breathing shaky. Emma placed her hand back on Tom's shoulder and she coaxed him to look at her.

"Tom? What happened?" She asked gently. Tom bit his lip, looking like he wanted to shout at her. Or cry. Emma's worry however seemed to win him over and he took a deep breath.

"Promise you won't tell anyone?" Tom whispered. Emma nodded, feeling a bit bewildered and more than a little concerned.

"Danny and I had a fight before he died." Tom admitted. Emma's heart constricted while her features flooded with understanding and sympathy.

"Oh, Tom. Is that why you've been upset?" She asked, brushing the boy's hair out of his tear-stained face. "Because you guys fought and didn't make up?"

Tom lowered his eyes in shame. "You always said, 'don't let the sun go down on your anger'."

"Oh, sweetheart." Emma sighed. Suddenly, Tom's strange behaviours made so much sense. She could only imagine how much he had suffered by himself, the guilt that surely weighed on him as he'd had to say goodbye to his friend without making up.

"Come here." Emma pulled Tom into a warm embrace and he buried his face into her chest like he had since he was a small boy. "What did you fight about?"

"Danny… Danny didn't want to be my friend anymore." Tom croaked, his voice breaking a little bit. "He said he had a new friend."

"What?" Emma was confused but she didn't stop stroking Tom's head tenderly. "So why couldn't he still be friends with you?"

"I don't know."

Tom's answer was so quiet Emma almost didn't hear it. But she did and she sighed. Children went through so much as they grew up, drifting apart and then coming back together again often unexpectedly. She thought about how much Danny and Chloe had been fighting before his death, a change from the sweet relationship they had had as young children. It was just a part of growing up sometimes as kids struggled to find their own identities in an increasingly complex world. But what so few seemed to realize was that they weren't alone. They had their families, their friends and peers often going through the same confusion, and they had those who cared about them.

"I'm sorry you guys couldn't have a chance to mend your friendship, Tom." She murmured, still stroking Tom's head gently. "But don't let your guilt control you. Let this be a lesson not to let things that you can do today, like apologise and make up, be left for tomorrow. But let that be all. Okay, love?"

Tom nodded, head still buried against her and Emma held the boy tightly. She briefly wondered if Ellie knew, but she suspected Tom hadn't told her. She debated whether to tell Ellie what Tom had told her but she knew she would instantly lose Tom's trust if she did; and the last thing she wanted was for Tom to feel alone. So she decided to file this information away for now; Ellie had enough on her plate anyway.

That night, Alec came knocking later than Emma expected.

"I thought you might have forgotten." Emma said as she opened her door and let Alec in. "Hang on, I'll brew tea."

"Thanks. We took a little longer than planned." Alec explained, shrugging off his jacket as Emma moved about. She looked back at him over her shoulder.

"So, how come you get a break? I'd have thought you would tie yourself and Ellie to the desk."

"Uh, we've shifted through enough information that we can afford dinner breaks." Alec answered absently as he rubbed his eyes. "I have to head back to the station in a bit though."

"Dinner break? You haven't eaten yet?" Emma asked, turning on Alec immediately.

He grimaced as he realized his slip-up and Emma said reproachfully, "You should have said."

She glanced around her kitchen thoughtfully.

"I don't have much, but is toast fine? Or we can pop out to buy something although it's a bit late so there likely aren't many places still open. I imagine fried foods aren't good for you?"

"Just toast is fine." Alec answered although he joined her in the kitchen. "And I can get it."

She watched him faint amusement as he started moving about her kitchen as though he owned the place. He struck a decidedly odd figure standing in his suit in her small, cosy kitchen. But it was a picture Emma realized she could get used to.

"Do you want one too?"

Emma was brought back to the present at his question, and she shook her head.

"I already ate ages ago like a normal person."

Alec ignored the teasing reprimand in her tone as he slid a slice of bread into the toaster. Emma looked like she was going to comment (probably to tell him to eat more) but Alec turned back to her thoughtfully.

"Do you still have nightmares about your father's trial?"

Emma turned her head away out of habit; despite everything she'd already shared, she was still unaccustomed to putting words to the things she had locked away for so long. She deliberated for a moment, until Alec's hand gently touched her cheek and turned her to face him again. His eyes held only concern and Emma sighed.

"I stopped having nightmares after moving to Australia. But they've crept back since Danny's death."

He observed her for a moment. "You should probably take a sleeping pill tonight. I imagine that the news about Jack will make it even worse tonight."

Emma's lips tilted into a sad smile. "It will. So I will."

He nodded in relief before leaning down to press a gentle kiss to her lips. Emma responded by leaning up on her toes and wrapping her arms around his neck. It was odd, how comforting this grumpy man's touch was. But Emma was grateful for it as, after Alec left an hour later, she found sleep much more easily than she would have believed possible even a few weeks ago.

*A/N I just had to give a shout out to realSkyEyes, thank you for your short but so genuinely sweet review!