A/N: Please note that other triggering content (self-harm and suicide will be discussed) throughout the story. Please be forewarned and take precautions if these are troubling for you.

***This chapter in particular may be triggering, so please take precautions if necessary***

A/N: Violence towards a primary character is briefly mentioned/discussed in this chapter. Please be forewarned if that is troubling for you.

I just wanted to offer my continued thanks to everyone for the reviews. My muse and I both appreciate it.

This is still, as of now, planned to be a fairly long, multi-part story, but if y'all aren't into it…I'll wrap it up soon.

And remember…reviews and feedback keep me and my muse motivated…especially if they're positive!

***More drama and more secrets revealed***

I hope you enjoy this latest chapter…Now on with the show!

"There are no secrets that time does not reveal." ~ Jean Racine

"A man's true secrets are more secret to himself than they are to others." ~ Paul Valery

Chapter 50

I follow Elizabeth's line of sight…and where she's pointing to in the myriad of pictures, to determine which of the women 'Lauren' was…and I'm shocked to say the least.

In all the chaos surrounding Emily being hurt and everything that came after, I realize I hadn't stopped to look closely at any of the pictures.

But now…for the first time…I really looked at the photos…specifically the one Elizabeth pointed out as 'Lauren'…and nearly gasp. The two of us could have been twins. If I didn't know any better…I'd almost swear it was a picture of me…but because of the background…I knew it wasn't.

"The resemblance is quite remarkable…don't you think?" Alex states…the low timbre of his voice shaking me from my near trance.

I nod and turn to look at my team…all of whom are all nodding slightly in agreement.

Everyone…especially Emily…had to have noticed the resemblance between the two of us at some point. Why didn't anyone mention this to me sooner? Why would Emily choose the name of someone that looked exactly like me when she went undercover… years before we ever met? I'm missing something…and it feels like it's something important.

I finally shake my head clear of my rambling thoughts and the shock of seeing my 'twin' on the murder board and refocus on the conversation…but at this point…the questions are beginning to outweigh the answers.

"Did Emily know that Lucas killed Lauren?" I ask…hesitantly.

"No…quite the opposite in fact. We didn't even realize that the two knew each other until today. We were told by a friend of her parents that she killed herself upon returning to the States. Apparently…that had been a lie."

"Why would someone lie to you about something like that?" I ask…unable to contain my shock, disgust, and anger upon hearing this.

Given my own past…my sister's death and the pain that still causes…I can't imagine how someone would be so cruel as to make something like that up.

"It's because of what happened at the party…and me…isn't it?" Chance sadly asks.

"In part…yes. But not entirely…so please don't blame yourself for that. There were a lot of things going on back then…a lot of choices that were made. All of which culminated in Lauren leaving…us being told something horrible that we shared with Emily…which we now realize was untrue. Those decisions cannot be changed…and despite everything…we're eternally grateful that you're here now." Elizabeth replies to Chance…with Alex and Isabella nodding in agreement.

"Okay…now I'm even more confused…what are you both talking about? What party? And what would you have to do with any of this? You weren't even born back then, right?" I question…looking over at Chance as I try to mentally piece together what they were talking about…and failing miserably.

"I'd been so pre-occupied with trying to secure my new posting…and Alex had some personal matters of his own to attend to with Isabella…that we completely forgot Emily's birthday. We weren't always around due to meetings or things like that…but we always sent gifts or called at the very least. That year…we both completely forgot. We felt horrible about it once we realized what had occurred…and we planned a large party for her. We went overboard on gifts trying to make up for our parental failings…even though we realized that we couldn't buy our way out of a mistake like that. But we had hoped to at least attempt to show her…somehow prove to her…that we did actually care…even though we failed miserably every time we tried." Elizabeth conceded.

"We invited Emily's friends, John and Matthew, to attend the party…but Matthew had to leave early. Lucas was there as well, and seemed to be getting along well with Emily and her friends. Emily even danced once or twice with him. Though I'm certain it was more for my benefit than out of any interest on her part. Before long…I was engaged in my normal political conversations and I noticed that Emily, John, and Lucas were all gone. I assumed they had left together…though a short time later…I saw Lucas leave with his parents. Given how upset Emily had been with Alex and I, we both assumed Emily was simply hiding out somewhere avoiding the party, so we didn't give her absence the rest of the evening much thought. In the end, the party led to more issues than we ever anticipated." Elizabeth noted as she quickly glanced up at Chance.

"Wait…what issues? What do you mean?" I ask…almost afraid to hear the answer.

"That was the night my mom got pregnant with me." Chance quietly answers.

Oh…those kind of issues.

I just nod, reaching over and gently squeezing Chance's hand, before looking back to Elizabeth to continue.

"Over the next few weeks…things went downhill quite dramatically. Emily had overheard a rather loud argument that Alex and I had. Lauren was there assisting Emily with her language tutoring that evening and saw how upset Emily was after our argument. We assume she decided to assist Emily in finding out the cause of the argument. In the process, Emily discovered that our marriage was not real, that Alex was not really away on business as he had always claimed…but was really living with Isabella instead…and that he had another family with Isabella. That was also when she met Tom." Elizabeth started to continue, but I interrupted…shocked by this admission, and the way in which Elizabeth so casually mentioned it.

"Another family…as in other kids? I thought Emily was an only child?" I stammer…unable to hide my shock at this latest revelation.

"Yes. She has other siblings…technically half-siblings, but because of how complicated things in our family were back then, and continued to be for quite some time, no one was allowed to acknowledge that bond. I know it hurt her terribly…as it did her siblings." Alex sadly looked to Isabella before continuing.

"She grew up believing she was an only child up to that point, but after that, part of her wanted to get to know more about them. I think another part wanted to deny ever finding out about them and pretend nothing had changed…but that, we all knew, wasn't possible. She was also incredibly hurt that I kept them a secret from her. I don't blame her…or her siblings for being angry with me for that. None of them ever liked that she had to claim she was an only child, even after she discovered the truth…but it provided them something to bond over as they got older. Their mutual dislike for me and my decision all those years ago." Alex pauses briefly…sadness filling his nearly black eyes before he continues on.

"Ultimately it was my decision…or request rather…for her to lie. It was in everyone's best interest at the time. Emily realized that too…even if she wasn't happy about it. She simply continued with the charade as she got older due to her own security issues, in an attempt to keep everyone safe. It just seemed easier to keep the lie going instead of putting everyone's safety at risk. I started that lie…well Elizabeth and I did…and it just snowballed from there." Alex finished sadly…bowing his head as if he were still ashamed of the role he played in that decision.

"How many siblings does she have?" I ask…curiosity getting the better of me at this point.

"Three. Two half-brothers and a half-sister." Isabella responded in a smooth, calming manner…gently squeezing Alex's hand as she continued…"Though they are much closer now they were before…probably closer than full siblings in some families."

Two brothers and a sister…and this whole time I thought she was an only child.

Good lord…I've heard of families having skeletons in their closet…but this is becoming a little ridiculous. How many more family members…or skeletons…are gonna fall out of her family's closet? It's like some weird…twisted clown car…but this time…instead of clowns…more 'new' family members keep appearing. Wonder where they're hiding out…and who else is hiding with them?

Elizabeth nodded at Isabella's response as she continued "At the same time…Emily also discovered that we weren't able to get divorced due to our parent's holding Emily's trust fund over our heads…among other things. Finding out her family…her whole life…had been based on a lie…was quite shocking for her. Finding out that she was not able to share that information with anyone else due to her grandparents demands on Alex and I…and having it confirmed, when she found out that Alex's brother had been exiled from the family due to a similar situation, was the beginning of a string of family secrets that Emily was forced to keep…that unfortunately continues to this day." Elizabeth stated.

"Is this why you said Emily found out the wrong way about your family secret?" I ask…still trying to wrap my head around all of this new information.

"Yes. As Elizabeth had mentioned before…we had hoped to find the right time to talk to Emily about all of this. But because of Lauren…her snooping and following me around…Emily found out when none of us were really prepared to deal with the fall-out. I was furious with Lauren for what she had started…the pain that I knew Emily was going through. But in the end…I realize that I should've told Emily much sooner. Had I done that…she wouldn't have been so upset with all of us. She wouldn't have felt so betrayed…like she was unloved or unwanted. Isabella and I tried to include her with everything we did as a family…we wanted her to feel welcome in our home. But back then…Emily didn't want any part of it. She told us she just felt like she didn't belong there. Elizabeth and I both took our anger out on Lauren. We fired Lauren and had her parents transferred back to the States because of what happened." Alex explained.

"What we didn't realize at the time…was that while all of this was going on…Emily had discovered she was pregnant. At first…we insisted she get an abortion. We were afraid that she would end up trapped in a situation like Alex and I were, given how her grandparents would react to the news, and we didn't want that kind of a life for her." Elizabeth sadly looked at Chance before continuing.

"She went with her friend Matthew out of town and when they returned…she told us that everything was taken care of. Lauren had stopped by before she left town to talk with Emily one more time…but her and Matthew hadn't returned yet from their trip, so she asked that we tell Emily she stopped by. We found out later that she'd stuck around and overheard a conversation we had with Emily, as well as with John's parents, about Emily having an abortion and their need to stay quiet about the entire situation." Alex explains.

"They had to stay quiet about it because of your career, didn't they?" I ask, somewhat accusingly…in Elizabeth's direction.

She just nods slightly in response, before continuing on where Alex left off.

"Lauren left Emily a note of some kind. Emily never did say exactly what was in it…but it was enough for her to nearly break down. Emily was always quite stoic…nothing ever really bothered her too much. Emotions were not something that anyone in our family ever shared...well except perhaps anger. But Lauren and her had grown quite close…much closer than either of us realized at the time. Her leaving broke Emily's heart. Then we received that call that Lauren had taken her own life…and had left a note about why she had made that decision. We relayed the information to Emily and the look on her face was heartbreaking. It was as if someone switched off a light inside of her." Elizabeth conceded…remembering the sadness that had overtaken her daughter that night.

"We watched over the next few days as Emily became a shell of her former self…and then she simply disappeared one night. I thought she simply wanted some time alone…or perhaps she was going to go spend some time with a friend. It wasn't until the next day that we realized just how badly Lauren's 'death' had impacted Emily."

I don't like the sound of that.

"Matthew was standing next to Emily…shaking somewhat but obviously quite protective of our daughter. She told us that she was still pregnant and that no matter what…she was keeping the baby. That was when he stepped up and said that he would her help raise the baby if necessary…with or without our support." Elizabeth recalled…a faint appearance of remembrance and sadness in her eyes.

Choking up a little before continuing…."During his impassioned speech…Emily didn't say much…but we both knew something was definitely wrong. Emily was distant…more so than either of us had ever seen before. That's when Alex and I noticed that she had some strange markings around her neck. We both realized…probably about the same time…that Emily had most likely attempted to take her own life the previous night…and that Matthew had most likely saved her."

I'm barely able to contain the gasp on hearing this. She tried to take her own life!

Now I'm even more concerned about some of the things I've seen recently…those marks on her wrist and her other self-injury…along with some of the things she said to me recently about wishing she was dead. She has a history of suicide attempts…even if they were when she was younger. That makes all of those things much more serious…and troubling.

And Lauren was clearly very important to Emily. Is it possible that Lauren and Emily were more than friends…or that they wanted to be more? I can't see Emily…even as a teenager…reacting so strongly to losing a close friend. Maybe using her name undercover was a way to keep her memory alive or repay her for something. I'll have to find a way to find out more about her from Emily…at some point. For now…I really need to pay attention to what Elizabeth is telling me.

Elizabeth seems to have noticed that I was somewhat distracted and waits for a brief moment until my focus is back on her before continuing.

"We realized then that our attempts…however well intentioned…had caused our daughter catastrophic harm. Neither of us attempted to dissuade her at that point…and though we may not have agreed with her decisions after that…we generally tried not to stand in the way of her choices either. We realized that the decisions we had made up to that point had nearly cost us our daughter…and unless there was imminent danger to her life…we wouldn't argue with her or stand in her way again…even if we didn't always approve of her choices…or felt they were dangerous…like going undercover…or working with all of you."

"We also realize now that it was during that time that Lucas had met or at least saw Lauren. We're not sure exactly how or when, but he apparently was jealous of how close the two of them were. He had, for some reason, become obsessed at that point with Emily and thought Lauren was keeping Emily away from him." Alex interjects.

"Sending Lauren and her parents away may have inadvertently saved their lives at that time, but it didn't end up saving them in the end. The same decision also caused a ripple effect through our entire family that changed everything that came afterward." Elizabeth said…just above a whisper.

It was said so quietly, I almost wonder if it were meant be an inner thought instead of something said out loud.

"We realize now how close Lauren was to our daughter and that she was just trying to help her. Our decision to exile her and her parents must've been devastating to her as well. Ms. Garcia informed us that Lauren was hospitalized for a suicide attempt when she returned to the States. We assume her parents concluded that the attempt had something to do with some extreme stress caused by the move, Emily, or some other event that occurred while they were in Rome that they simply didn't know about. My guess is they didn't want to take any chances with their daughter's life again, so they made the decision to simply cut all ties with their previous life, and start a new life somewhere else. In making that decision, they told everyone from their previous life that she died, when in truth, she had only attempted to take her own life." Elizabeth acknowledges…sadness slightly tinting her voice.

"We moved to our next posting shortly after all of that happened…and Emily moved in with Alex's brother and his wife while she was pregnant, and stayed there after Chance was born. She seemed to prefer living with them instead of either of us…and neither of us felt the need to make her move back, or choose between us. As long as she was happy and healthy, and Chance was doing well, we saw no need to interfere." Elizabeth recalls…a slight hint of sadness again filling her dark eyes.

"It's not to say that everything was perfect while she was there either. She definitely had her share of problems while she was living with them as well. She got into a fair bit of trouble there too. My brother and his wife tried their best to help her. They too had nearly reached a breaking point with Emily's behavior, when Emily ended up in a serious car accident. After the accident, it took a while for her to recover. During that time, everything seemed to turn around, and she started making strides back towards her former self again. Things started looking up, and for the first time in a long time…we had hope that the bad times were behind us all. She ended up staying with them until she left for college. She only returned to visit us once in a while for special social gatherings. The rest of the time we would travel to visit her and Chance." Alex explains.

She was getting into trouble and everything changed because of an accident? That sounds strange. Why would a car accident change everything? I feel like they are leaving something out of the story. If they don't tell me…I'll ask her kids if they know…or Emily…once she's doing a little better.

"She decided to attend Georgetown and her uncle and aunt traveled with their family and Chance to be closer to her. That allowed her to still be near Chance and attend school as well. That's where she and Lucas became reacquainted. At first, she didn't recognize him, but after a short time, she remembered him. I remembered him immediately. At the time though, I had no ill feelings towards him and neither did Alex. We simply remembered him being an awkward kid that had a crush on our daughter years earlier." Elizabeth paused…sighing quietly before continuing on.

"They became friends and then started dating. As I was still working with his mother, though not as frequently, it also worked out well for me politically. I didn't push for her to be in that relationship or offer my opinion in any form though. I had learned years before…we all did…that it was up to Emily to make those kinds of decisions for herself. After nearly losing her due to our previous interference…we tried to stay out of her personal life as much as possible."

"Unfortunately, in this case, we should've been more persistent. Lucas was a charming young man…too charming. He even managed to fool all of us." Elizabeth glanced between Alex and Isabella before continuing on.

"We thought he was good for Emily. He was attending medical school and was a resident…he was nearly finished and was on his final set of rotations before obtaining his medical license…and he was from a well-connected family. He seemed to be treating her well and everything seemed to be great between them." Elizabeth sadly states as she glancing up quickly…looking at me…before continuing on.

"He wasn't what he appeared to be. He was a monster. He was treating Emily horribly and because she wasn't close to any of us"…again…glancing between Alex and Isabella before continuing on…"well…I guess she didn't feel like she could talk to us about it. It wasn't until we received a call from the hospital that she had been brought in…seriously injured…that we realized what had been occurring all along…what she'd been living with for months."

Elizabeth glanced over at Alex and Isabella…clinching her hands tightly together before taking a deep breath and continuing. "We did step in at that point. We discovered Emily was pregnant and we realized that we needed to do everything possible to protect her and Summer…as well as Chance…from Lucas." Elizabeth looks up at Summer, softly smiling, but sadness still tinting her dark eyes.

"We thought we resolved everything after I contacted Lucas's mother. His parents disowned him but arranged for him to be institutionalized. They thought he was mentally ill. They were convinced that it would be in everyone's best interest to have him obtain treatment from a mental institution instead of a prison. Unfortunately, Alex and I went along with their plan. They promised to keep Lucas away from Emily and I believe they would have, but things changed…as I believe Ms. Garcia can explain to you shortly."

I quickly glance over to Garcia and see her nod to me before looking back to Elizabeth.

"We did manage to keep Emily, Chance, and Summer all safe. She moved back in with her uncle and aunt and she even managed to finish her degree from Georgetown and attend Yale…graduating from both before attending the FBI academy. She was also able to be close to Chance and Summer, ensuring their safety, and for her, that was her primary concern." Elizabeth looks back up at Chance and Summer…before looking back at me.

"We'll help answer any other questions you may have, or fill in any areas we may have skipped over. But for now, Tom has more specific information than we do…with regards to how all of what we just explained specifically relates to Emily's connections to these photos." Elizabeth finishes…looking over to Tom.

I watch as Tom rises from his seat and walks over to the photos taped to the whiteboard and clears his throat…as he looks directly at me.