The crowd of mourners busied about the bar and lobby of the Trader Hotel, most growing more talkative now that Jack had been laid to rest. Paul remained somewhat awkwardly to the side of the room but thankfully, Becca didn't leave him alone for long.

"Well done, you. You gave us all what for." She said warmly as she joined Paul, offering him some juice.

"I'm a bit worried that no one's going to speak to me again." Paul admitted although he accepted the drink gladly.

"I'll speak to you. Nice bit of community leadership." Becca answered with a smile, which grew when another familiar face joined them.

"I will too." Emma gave Paul an encouraging smile. "It was a lovely sermon - even though I don't believe in God."

"Thanks." Paul muttered and Emma shook her head.

"No, I mean it. I don't believe in God but I don't belittle people who are able to be stronger and better because of that faith. You know that."

Paul softened at once and he nodded at his friend. "I also wanted to thank you, Emma. You were kind to Jack when he was alive. I'm sure he appreciated it."

Emma's smile dimmed but she accepted Paul's kind words all the same. "Thanks, Paul."

Paul nodded before he glanced over Emma's shoulder. Emma turned to see Beth approaching her with a tentative smile.

"Hey," Beth greeted Emma while Paul excused himself. Becca was already gone; she must have seen Beth coming before even Paul had. "You okay?"

"Yeah."

Beth hesitated. "It's just, you never called or checked in the last couple days. I just wanted to make sure you're all right."

"I'm fine." Emma promised, trying to give her friend a smile. But Beth just studied her thoughtfully.

"Didn't realize you were so close with Jack." Beth admitted at last.

At her words, Emma's act dropped. Her smile disappeared and her shoulders slumped just a little bit as Emma shook her head.

"I wasn't. But I was just… too shocked by how people treated him. All because of a news article." She replied. It was the most she wanted to say about the subject; Beth didn't know her past and it was too painful to talk about just yet. Besides, Beth had her own concerns.

Beth dithered like she could sense there was more. But ultimately, she chose not to press the issue as she instead moved toward the open bar. Emma meanwhile headed out and toward the back of the reception area, wanting to find a moment's quiet. But she found she wasn't the only one trying to slip away when she bumped into Chloe behind the stairwell.

"Oh! Oh, hi, Em." Chloe muttered.

Emma frowned as she heard a petulant undercurrent to the younger blonde's voice but she answered evenly, "Hey, Chlo."

Chloe shuffled on her feet. Emma glanced around and, needing something to break the weird tension that was growing between them, she asked, "What were you doing back here?"

"Just trying to get away from all… that." Chloe gestured vaguely over her shoulder toward the reception. Emma glanced at the crowd of people mingling about and she nodded.

"Yeah, it's hard being around so many people, isn't it? And all in mourning, too."

"It's just, why does it have to be such a big deal?" Chloe suddenly exploded and Emma looked at the younger girl in surprise. "Danny was murdered, and we can't even bury him, but old Jack Marshall offs himself, and he gets a full service and reception?"

Emma's lips parted in shock and growing outrage, as Chloe ranted, "I don't know what this is all for, it's not like they were wrong about hi-"

"Chloe Latimer!"

Emma's voice was so sharp, several people nearby quietened and stared at her and Chloe. Chloe flushed and averted her gaze, but she didn't say anything. Emma narrowed her eyes at the girl but she waited until the other people's gazes moved away before she started in a lower but no less strict voice.

"Look, I know losing Danny has been hard, and I know even saying that can't even begin to cover just how tough it is. But that doesn't make it right to take it out on another person."

Chloe started to protest but her eyes flew up to Emma's in shock when Emma continued without sympathy, "You aren't guiltless in Jack's death. You blamed him because it was easy and now that you realize you're wrong, you don't want to take responsibility."

"That's not-" Chloe started hotly but Emma went on over her.

"Do your parents know that Dean's also a criminal having sex with a minor?"

Chloe's face, which had started to go red with anger, went absolutely white.

"How do you-?"

"This town's not that big, Chlo." Emma replied. She gave Chloe a hard look. "But just imagine if that came back as a headline thirty years from now? 'Sister of boy who died also victim of sexual assault'. 'Is the Latimer family cursed'?"

"That's not-" Chloe started again but Emma silenced her with her next words.

"No, it's not, is it? But if you weren't willing to listen to or believe Jack, what entitles you to think someone else will believe you? After all, he was telling the truth too."

Chloe's eyes filled with tears, so Emma softened her tone. But she didn't soften her words as she warned grimly, "There's weight in words, Chlo. So keep that in mind. Imagine someone saying stuff like that about Danny, would you? Because that's what you've been doing to someone else's Danny."

Emma turned and walked away. Needing somewhere to escape and be alone, Emma beelined for the loo. Locking herself in the small space, Emma crouched down with her head between her knees and breathed shakily. All this, all of it was just bringing too many things up. And worst of all, nothing had been resolved. Only more tragedy and death. As always.

After a long moment, Emma managed to gather herself up enough that she could maintain her composure again. It wasn't perfect, but it would have to do. She only needed to hold it together a little bit longer and then she could go home.

Unfortunately, all sense of calm left Emma when she exited the loo to find herself face to face with the very last person she ever wanted to see.

"Hi." Karen murmured, shifting her handbag on her arm in a nervous movement.

Emma glared. "I don't want to talk to you."

"I know, I'm the last person you probably want to see. But I wanted to pay my respects." Karen replied evenly. Emma folded her arms defensively, and Karen glanced around at the reception.

"Jack's loss must have been hard on you-"

On the other side of the room, Ellie was talking to Beth when a loud crash followed by a feminine yelp had everyone turning to stare in shock as Emma hauled Karen out of the reception area by her ponytail.

"Ow! Let me go! OW!"

"What's going on?" Ellie gasped as she ran out of the bar and spotted the shattered wine glasses on the ground, presumably a result of Karen struggling to get out of Emma's grip, and then Emma. "Em-!"

"Tell Becca I'll pay her for the bloody glasses!" Emma yelled over her shoulder as she dragged a yelping Karen with her up the stairs.

"No, Em-" Ellie started after her friend but Alec beat her to it.

"Miller, keep everyone here, especially the press. I've got her." Alec ordered before he grabbed Olly as the young man tried to follow Emma. "No, not you, you stay down here."

Olly looked like he was going to protest but at Alec's stern gaze, he drew back reluctantly.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Emma hauled a wriggling Karen down the hallway.

"Which one's your room?" Emma snapped.

"What?" Karen asked, still in shock.

"Your hotel room number, now!" Emma shouted.

"207!" Karne cried.

Emma found the door, wrenched it open and all but threw Karen inside her room. The reporter stumbled before she regained her balance by grasping the side of her bed and she turned around indignantly to find a stormy-eyed blonde facing her with folded arms.

"What are you doing here? Really?" Emma demanded, her gaze flinty.

"I told you, I felt I should pay my respects."

"No, you didn't." Emma cut in sharply. "You're maybe feeling a little bit of guilt for having led the charge against Jack, but you're not here for that. So cut the bull, be honest and tell me why you're really here."

At the accusation, Karen drew herself up to her full height. "Is it really so hard to believe I've just come to be respectful?"

"Oh, you're not serious. If you wanted to be respectful, you'd never have written those articles about him." Emma snapped. Karen just glared back.

"Oh, please. All of you are the same. Spare me the sanctimonious sh*t. Jack Marshall made his own choice, he took his own life-"

"And you have no blame whatsoever, isn't that right?" Emma sneered. "The police didn't protect him, it was the other reporters who hounded him, it was the townspeople who mobbed him, and you are utterly blameless. That's what you think, isn't it?"

Karen's teeth clenched as Emma threw the words Karen had said to Maggie earlier that very day right back at her like she'd heard Karen's speech. How had Emma known?

"Who do you think you are?" Karen asked in a low voice, barely able to speak from between gritted teeth. "You've had it out for me since I first came here even though you don't know the first thing about me."

"No," Emma shook her head. "I know your kind. I told you that day you first published your little story. Your kind, you take it upon yourself to 'be the voice for the people', saying you're doing it for everyone and acting like you have authority but you don't take any responsibility for the knives you stick into people's backs and the lives you ruin."

"Like I said, he made his own choices. I did nothing." Karen replied, folding her own arms defensively.

"No, you did worse than nothing. You wrote. Did you think words don't hurt, that it's fine because it leaves no visible scar?"

Karen pursed her lips and Emma scoffed.

"No, I didn't think so. So don't you dare stand there and pretend like you didn't know this would happen. You knew what kind of fire you were lighting under Jack. You're no amateur. You wrote those articles intending to pin the blame on Jack and you were fully aware what kind of storm it would bring, the vultures you would draw with your fresh meat. Most likely because you've been a vulture before."

Knowing she had no real answer to Emma's statements, Karen replied tightly, "I didn't kill him."

"Didn't you?" Emma challenged and Karen bristled.

"You have an actual murderer out there," she stabbed her finger toward the door for emphasis, "that your favourite police haven't managed to catch yet, and you want to blame me?"

"Oh, do shut up, I'm not an idiot, Karen." Emma thundered. "Or maybe it's you who's the moron with poor memory."

Karen opened her mouth but Emma continued without giving her a chance to speak.

"I said it to you and Olly before, didn't I? The police do their best to gather evidence because they're above doing what you do, pointing the finger and throwing out wild surmise until you strike gold. They need to catch the right person because they, unlike you apparently, take responsibility for ruining a person's life!"

"We didn't make things up!" Karen snapped back, doing everything to keep her voice even. "We're not gossip, we're news and we write based on facts. Jack Marshall was a convict-"

"Was he the prime suspect in Danny's death? Was that confirmed by the police?" Emma fired right back. "Was his conviction because he touched little boys or anything that might have suggested it was related to Danny? Was there any indication of sexual trauma on Danny's body? If Jack really was a pervert or worse, if that was his motivation in killing Danny, there should have been right? Was Jack even unaccounted for at the time of Danny's death?"

Karen didn't answer and Emma scoffed.

"The answers are, 'no' or 'you don't know', aren't they? But that's what you wrote in your 'news' articles based on so-called 'facts'."

Karen averted her gaze, but her eyes flew back to Emma when the blonde continued angrily.

"You may not have pulled the trigger on Jack. But you sure as hell loaded the bloody gun. And you're right, there's a child murderer still out there. But if I were you, I'd take a good look in the mirror. Because to me, you're no less a monster for stitching up innocent people and then, as if that weren't enough, not owning up to your own mistakes and instead letting people find yet another innocent person to blame."

Emma turned to leave, saying over her shoulder as she went, "If you have any decency left, you'll pack up and leave right now. But, I guess no one decent would have done what you did so I suppose I'll see you around."

With that, Emma threw open the door and slammed it behind her. Alec was waiting in the hallway but before Emma could say anything he took her hand and pulled her quickly down the hallway.

"Let's get you inside." He said grimly. "Press are probably leaping to get a hold of you. Take my room."

Emma followed him silently into his hotel room, where Alec quickly moved to shut the curtains.

"I suggest you stay here, wait for things to calm down. Those journalists would probably love to have a field day after seeing you drag Karen off." He advised. Emma nodded.

"Okay." She hesitated a beat before asking, "How much did you hear?"

"Enough." Alec turned and walked back toward Emma. "I was ready to drag you out if it got too heated but you seemed mostly under control."

Emma nodded mutely as the fight left her. Her shoulders slumped in exhaustion. Alec sighed and kissed her cheek gently.

"You know I appreciate that you're so righteous but don't be reckless. I have to go down, I don't think Miller will be able to keep them all at bay forever on her own. Can you stay here and not do anything stupid?"

Emma nodded again and Alec patted her shoulder.

"Come here." He opened his arms and Emma stepped easily into them, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his heart.

She listened to the steady beat under her ear as Alec continued quietly, "I'm not saying what you said was wrong. And I'm proud you didn't resort to violence, except for maybe pulling some hairs. But I don't want you to get hurt."

"I know." Emma answered.

Alec pulled back and he kissed her gently before he reluctantly let go.

"I'll see once everyone has left."

Emma nodded. As Alec left the room, she settled wearily on the bed when her phone suddenly dinged. Emma glanced at it to see it was a message from Maggie.

'Well done, petal.'

And for some reason, Emma burst into tears.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Alec controlled the crowd trying to ask him questions about Emma's outburst.

"Both ladies are quite safe and unharmed. That is all." He said firmly, refusing to say anything else. Ellie quickly helped him diffuse the crowd, but neither saw Olly watching them with furrowed brows from the corner of the room.

He hadn't expected Emma's outburst; none of them had. And it was so out of character for the blonde woman to be so violent. As he thought about Emma's recent outbursts that had started with the article about Jack, Olly recalled Karen starting to dig into Emma's background after the first time Emma had slapped her. Maybe she hadn't been crazy to do so. Maybe…

It was late by the time Emma's phone rang again. She'd spent the majority of the rest of the afternoon ignoring texts from friends and other villagers, but it was the first time her phone had rung at all. Seeing it was Alec, Emma answered.

"Hello?"

"I'm going to be a bit late, just finishing up on something." Alec informed her and Emma let out a soft breath.

"Okay."

"Feel free to order dinner or have Miller bring you something." Alec added. "She's already grabbing some clothes for you so you can stay the night."

"Is that okay?" Emma wondered with a frown.

"I don't think you should leave just yet, give it until the morning." Alec answered. Emma nodded slowly.

"Okay. I can see that."

"Miller should be there shortly." Alec hesitated before adding in a low voice. "I'll see you soon."

Emma's lips quirked into a small smile. "Okay. Bye."

"Bye."

Emma dropped her phone with a heavy sigh, when someone knocked on her door.

"Em?"

Recognizing Ellie's voice, Emma quickly unlocked and opened the door for her friend. There was only concern written all over Ellie's face as she examined Emma before she asked, "Are you okay?"

"I will be." Emma nodded and Ellie held up a bag.

"I have fresh clothes for you," she then held up another bag. "And some nice, warm chips. It was the only thing still open."

Emma smiled. "That sounds lovely, actually. Thanks, El."

"Anytime, Em. Anytime." Ellie answered as she stepped into the room and started fussing about her friend.

Emma allowed it for a moment, somewhat amused by Ellie clucking at her red eyes and calling Karen White all sorts of names. But after a while, Emma finally intervened.

"El, I'm fine."

"If you say so." Ellie opened her own bag of chips and she plucked one up before giving Emma a sly look.

"So. You and my boss?"

Emma choked on her chip, as Ellie had clearly intended. Glaring at her amused friend, Emma muttered, "Shut up."

"Seriously, though, him?" Ellie asked, chewing on a chip thoughtfully. "He's like Scrooge, all grumpy and cross, and he looks a bit like a toothpick."

"Ellie!" Emma exclaimed. Ellie just grinned and Emma had to smile, even if she added defensively, "He's not so bad."

"Uh oh, sounds serious." Ellie waggled her brows, but Emma lowered her chips.

"I think it might be, El." Emma admitted quietly, making Ellie pause in her own meal.

"I've never… felt this before. I don't care that he's older, divorced and already has a kid. I don't care that he's grumpy and grouchy most of the time. I even like his frown even though I prefer his smile. I like talking with him and being with him. He makes me smile and laugh, and I love when I'm able to make him laugh. I miss him when I can't see him."

Ellie was quiet, just watching her friend with understanding, and Emma asked softly, "Is this how you feel with Joe? Is this what love feels like?"

"Yes." Ellie nodded. "That's exactly how I felt. How I still feel."

Reaching over, Ellie squeezed her friend's hand. "And that's why I'm happy for you, Em. Really. It's about time you met someone too."

"Yeah." Emma squeezed Ellie's hand back gratefully. "Thanks, El."

"Anytime." Ellie removed her hand and returned to munching on her chips. "Although, I'll admit it's a bit creepy picturing him laughing."

At that, Emma finally laughed. "You say that but I know you like him too, you big ol' softie, El."

*A/N: A little New Year's surprise! Happy New Year everyone.