Episode 16 "Infinity"

Author's Note: For your reading experience in this last installation, I will be mentioning a few musical tracks that I listened to while writing this out, that I believe really capture the various moods well. Please be warned, this will be an emotional installment =/

For this first portion (just the Flash Forward) I highly recommend listening to the first minute or so of "For You" by Angus & Julia Stone in the background. This was the music used on the actual show in the very first episode (and featured again in others) that signifies Emily's reflection of her treasured past, and perfectly complements the scene captured below…Its perfect to take you into the "Revengeverse", and it will reappear again later in the episode. Do enjoy!

Flash Forward: Emily took a final breath as she looked back out onto the ocean, savoring the last sight of the waves crashing out at sea, breaking against her feet along the shoreline. She looked down wistfully at the infinity symbol she had engraved in the sand, and watched as the waves made their way up to her ankles, covering over the imprint until it slowly began to fade away. With a saddened yet accepting sigh, she turned from where she stood, taking a mental picture of the ambience to emblazon into her heart, and made her way back to the beach house yards away, walking slowly and cautiously up the hill. As she approached her abode, her eyes began to fix on the warmly lit home she was thankful to return to, and the figures she watched entering the house from afar gave her relief. At the end of the day, she was grateful for much: A circle of friends she could rely on. A new future she had to look forward to. A final resolution to her mission of revenge. And a blessing of life. Despite her losses suffered in the past and her previous low regard for life, she had come to treasure it evermore now that her path as Amanda Clarke had finally begun. It was a path she had worked tirelessly to finally have within her grasp, and one she could share now with those she loved most. It had nearly escaped her, and the prospect now gave her a feeling of satisfaction and renewed her confidence in moving forward, as she trudged back towards the house. She knew as she walked away that not only were her trails away from the beach a metaphor for letting go of the past, but also letting go of the lingering memories of her father, whom she would forever treasure, behind her… everlasting now only in her heart like the unrelenting brush of the waves upon the sand.

Chapter 1

"Whoa, whoa, slow down there sir—" the doctor sensitively stretched out his hands in protest, bringing Daniel to a halt as he raced down the hallway at a furious pace, barely even seeing him in his path.

"I'm the father – I need to be in there!" Daniel exhaled anxiously, as Emily trailed behind him, slowing down as she watched the doctor try to calm Daniel from overreaction. They had arrived at Suffolk County Memorial Hospital, racing there within moments of the message that Emily received about Margaux's accident.

The doctor put up his hands in a pose that mirrored surrender, and gently tried to assure them both of the situation. "Mr. Grayson, I understand your concern, but she's lost a lot of blood and she's in and out of comatose state, you can't see her just yet—"

"Then someone needs to give me some answers, what the hell happened?!" Daniel bellowed, his voice rising to the level Emily knew to be his instinctive reaction when he felt uninformed and left out.

Again the doctor attempted to allay Daniel's fears, placing a hand on his shoulder as Daniel finally seemed to take a moment to listen. "We're doing everything we can to save her, but she sustained serious injuries… especially considering how far along she was in the stages of her pregnancy. Fortunately the guards at Suffolk County got her to us as quickly as possible—"

"Suffolk County?" Daniel questioned in alarm, and beside him Emily leaned forward to mirror his concern.

"Her accident took place at the station?" Emily asked, sensing foul play immediately. The nurses who contacted her had failed to mention the nature of her fall, only that there had been an accident that required her to be rushed to the hospital and sent into emergency labor right away. Emily's skin crawled at the thought that there could be more than unforeseen occurrence to blame for the tragic incident, and moments later her suspicions were confirmed.

The doctor nodded. "The situation is still under investigation, but from what the paramedics that were first on scene informed us and from the impact of her wounds…" he paused nervously, aware that he could get into a good deal of trouble for what he was about to share, and then retracted. "Well, we can't be sure what happened."

Daniel attempted to process what the doctor was telling him, and his breathing exceeded to a near pant, as he looked around frantically, and met eyes with Emily, who was already deep in thought trying to figure out what the doctor was hiding.

"Your son however is doing well, but I should alert you—" the doctor began again but this time it was the nurse from the room behind him that interrupted, emerging with an update.

"Doctor, she's waking up!" the nurse called out, to which Daniel immediately took notice and insisted.

"I have to see her," he cried out, brushing past the doctor before he had a chance to stop him again and stumbling into the room without hesitation.

Emily watched him go and instead of following, allowed him his space respectfully, deciding to wait behind and gather more information from the doctor while he was gone. "Doctor, the child – you were about to finish?"

"Yes," the doctor admitted, turning his full attention to Emily as she stepped forward. "We were able to save him," he assured her, and Emily breathed a deep sigh of relief.

"Oh thank God," she exhaled, placing a hand over her heart and listening as the doctor went on.

"He's currently under incubation as he's a bit premature, but with careful attention and round the clock observation, we expect him to be just fine," he continued, again allowing Emily's nervous senses to relax. She nodded emphatically; eternally grateful as she started to turn and follow after Daniel, more motivated to join him with the additional good news she had to share.

"Wait, ma'am – there's something else," he continued, however, causing Emily to stop short in her tracks. "Despite the successful delivery, there were other… complications with the mother."

Emily turned her expression up at him in concern and her face froze. "What do you mean?"

An expression of severe disappointment, bordering inadequacy, came over the doctor's face and at that moment Emily came to realize that despite the relief she had experienced only seconds ago, they were not fully in the clear. "She sustained too many injuries during the fall – some of them internal. We were able to rescue her son, but we were too late to stop the bleeding…"

Emily's face darkened, her eyebrows furrowed in expectation as she cut to the chase. "What are you saying? She's going to make it isn't she—the nurses said she's awake?"

The doctor nodded graciously as he answered, "She'll be in and out of consciousness as we wean her off the pain medication, but… there's nothing further we can do for her. I'm sorry, miss… she…she's not going to pull through."

Emily closed her eyes as her heart sank, reminding her of similar pain she had experienced in the past and shocking her at how dearly she did not realize she held Margaux, especially in light of their recent truce. There was so much she felt she needed to tell her – so much she sincerely appreciated her for. And yet, she would never have the chance. Emily's heart ached at what a tragic loss it would be not only for her, but for Daniel, unsure of how he would be able to handle becoming a father and losing the mother of his child all in the same day. Despite their reunion, she knew it was enough to tear him to pieces.

The doctor offered his apologies again and started to walk away as Emily put her head down to think, and suddenly reached out to stop him, grabbing him by the arm, alarming him slightly at the same time. "Wait," she breathed hoarsely, an angered darkness coming over her face as she addressed him. "You know what happened to her – don't you?"

"Ma'am, I'm sorry I really shouldn't comment on it any further, certainly not without the father and the police present—" the doctor lamented, looking around for any guards that would be nearby, but the police were not within sight.

"Tell me," Emily forced him, growing impatient. "I just want to know one thing – did Victoria do this?"

Again the doctor shifted in discomfort, immediately aware he was not at liberty to disclose any further information and already feeling guilty for sharing what he had. But with Emily's unrelenting glare concentrated on him and no one in sight, it was hard not to comply. Before taking off back to the nurse's station he nervously uttered, "The inmate that she was visiting got loose…she may have pushed her. That's all they're telling me."

It was all Emily needed to know. She nodded in appreciation as she released her grasp and let him go and turned in determination as she made her way to the doorway of the room. When she arrived, she stopped short, finding it difficult to take in – the sight of Daniel seated at Margaux's side, leaning forward in angst with his head in his hands beside her outstretched and unresponsive body, despite the monitors beeping lowly to signal that she was barely still alive.

SCENE

"Daniel," Margaux breathed in a low whisper, and immediately he lifted his head from his hands, thankful that she was awake. She struggled to turn her head to face him but grew weak, and he put a gentle hand on her arm, softly trying to convince her not to move.

"Hey- hey, take it easy," Daniel soothed her, watching with reddened eyes as she looked over at him wearily, taking slow deliberate breaths. "It's okay."

Margaux attempted to force a slight smile as she closed her eyes and exhaled, knowing full well that he was lying to her. Above all things she was a stark realist, and even in her sedated state, she was vaguely aware of all that had transpired. She took another breath as she mustered up enough energy to speak again. "The baby?" she asked.

Daniel nodded, squeezing her hand in reassurance. "He's going to be okay… just got here a little early, that's all." He tried halfheartedly to be light about it, not even fully sure that he knew all the details as he'd left before the doctor finished, but he wanted to maintain a positive outlook for her. It was the least he could do to keep her spirits up, but despite his attempts, he sensed that she could see the strain in his eyes.

Again she managed a weak smile in response and did her best to continue. "You're going to be…a good father, Daniel."

Daniel's countenance fell as he perceived what she meant and he immediately attempted to console her otherwise. "Hey, we're both going to be good parents to him, alright?" He tried with all his might to contain his emotion but Margaux's spirit was fading before him.

"No," she shook her head, gaining more strength to speak. "No, I won't be here to help you…" her voice cracked as her eyes grew moist with tears. "I'm sorry—"

"Don't talk like that," Daniel cut her short, raising his voice a little as if it to firmly will it into place. "You're going to be fine. Don't apologize," he fell a bit short for words as he watched her shake her head at him again, raising a weak finger in protest.

"Please," she exhaled. "Let me finish… I'm sorry about everything." She looked at him intently and despite the glassiness of her eyes from the tears, he felt how strong her conviction was of her words. "I was wrong about Emily… I should have believed her. It was Victoria that lied to me…I never should have trusted her…" she trailed off, fear seeping into her eyes, mixed with anger as the memories came back to mind of their last encounter. "It's my own fault this has happened – I should have never gotten involved."

"Margaux, please—" Daniel begged, cutting himself short as he felt a lump form in his throat. He too began to well up with emotion, listening as his once lover and sometimes antagonist melted the tough exterior around herself and owned up to the cause that she once fought so ardently against. With her admission, he knew she was accepting that her fate came as a result of allying with the wrong side, but despite not knowing that his mother played a direct role in her injuries, he still blamed her regardless, knowing Margaux's course of action over the last few months was only a result of Victoria's manipulation.

"I shouldn't have kept you away," Margaux insisted, her conviction strengthening her ability to keep speaking. Suddenly, brightness appeared in her eyes and he stopped himself for quieting her apologies to listen to her plea. "Will you forgive me?"

Deeply sympathetic, Daniel nodded right away, feeling a strong surge of pain at not being able to set this wrong aright, grievous as it may be. He wished somehow he could have tried harder to convince Margaux to see what he had been trying to show her for months, but knew deep inside that she would not have listened to him. The reason for her sincerity of apology was not only because she was in her final moments but because she knew her own stubbornness all too well. Despite coming to a realization of the truth only days prior, it was as the saying goes, too little too late, and she was paying dearly for her latency.

Margaux rested her eyes once Daniel gave his forgiveness, giving him pause to look up, seeing Emily waiting patiently in the doorway, allowing them both their time in private. But instead, Daniel rose from where he sat, giving a last look towards Margaux and whispering, "I'll be right back." She nodded faintly as he slipped out of the room to speak to Emily out of earshot.

"Hey," he acknowledged her, shifting her out into the hall. "What did the doctors say?"

Emily braced herself as she knew it was her responsibility to tell him the truth, and felt more difficulty in this very moment than in the previous week on the stand. "Your son is stable, they're going to need to keep him in incubation for a while but he'll pull through."

Daniel nodded, relaxing slightly. "And Margaux?" he asked.

Emily's countenance dropped as she glanced down to the floor, shaking her head ever so slightly to tactfully respond that she was not going to pull through. "I'm sorry, Daniel."

Daniel exhaled in disappointment, muttering an outcry as he leaned slightly against the wall, running his hand through his hair. "What happened, Em—what was she doing at the station?"

"Daniel," Emily tried to calm him, placing her arms around him, and finally divulged the rest of the truth, knowing deeply she would regret it. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but… she went to see Victoria."

Daniel's expression was enough to silence her but she pushed past the darkness that erupted into his eyes as he stared back in shock, trying to finish. "It wasn't long after the verdict was announced," she paused to look around to see if anyone was nearby. "The paramedics said that while she was leaving..." she tried her hardest to ease him into the truth. "There was some sort of scuffle…"

Despite her cautious way of sharing the truth, Daniel saw through it immediately. It broke Emily's heart to tell him but she could not bear keeping it welled up inside her, especially now that it seemed confirmed Margaux did not have very long. Again she attempted to pull Daniel close, trying desperately to comfort him, knowing exactly how pained he was feeling, but with a sudden burst in response, the moment was cut short.

Daniel broke away angrily and began walking down the hallway. "Daniel, wait! Where are you going?!"

"Miss," a nurse called out to Emily while she stared after him, gingerly approaching her.

"Daniel, come back!" Emily yelled his way, but he put his hands up in protest, turning back only once to answer.

"I just need some air," he responded, but the swiftness to which he stormed away revealed otherwise and immediately Emily's heart sank, worrying that she should never have spoken a word.

"Miss," again the nurse prodded her, and Emily felt torn momentarily, turning to face her as she let her continue. "She doesn't have much longer. She's asking for you."

Still torn, Emily conceded, knowing she owed it to Margaux to be by her side in her time of need, even if her heart was racing with concern for what Daniel was about to do next. She made her way back into Margaux's room, and slowly walked around the side of the bed to sit beside her, taking hold of her hand.

"Emily," Margaux began as she looked upon her, a sense of gratitude in her face.

"Margaux," Emily comforted her. "Please, try not to speak… Daniel will be back soon, I promise."

Margaux only shook her head, insistent that she wanted to speak to Emily. "No—it's you I need. I need to tell you I'm sorry I wasted so much time," she paused, her strength weakening. "So much time on hate…"

Emily closed her eyes slightly shaking her head, assuring her she held no grudges about the past. "All that's done now, Margaux. You did everything you could – this isn't your fault." She fought back angry tears as she spoke, realizing even more so how much the responsibility relied on Victoria for everything.

"I need you to do something for me," Margaux continued, and Emily grew silent so she could clearly hear her request, as Margaux's voice grew fainter each moment that went by.

"Anything," Emily whispered, tightening her grasp on Margaux's hand, but delicately so as not to hurt her.

"Look after them both," she breathed, and what came next surprised Emily. "I know you'll care for my son…but Daniel… please, make sure he stays the—the man that he's worked so hard to become. Don't let him lose his way…"

Emily stared intently, sensing what she meant as she recalled Daniel's outburst, and knew that Margaux also knew what to expect from the darker side of him. Though her heart ached to go after him she remained in place, concentrating on every word Margaux spoke, pausing only to wipe away strands of hair that stuck neatly to her forehead in the sweat that outlined her brow. She had grown pale now, and her eyes barely stayed open long enough for her to speak a full sentence, but she had enough energy to open them again, waiting on Emily's acknowledgement in return. "Promise me…"

"I promise," Emily responded, her mouth cracking into an exasperated smile as a tear ran down her face. "I'll make sure he's the father he always wanted to be."

Margaux nodded her appreciation. "We were the same, once… you and I?" she finally asked, a haze coming over her. "Weren't we? Strong…determined…set in our paths…"

Emily nodded, pondering a moment over Margaux's observation, realizing just how right she was about their similarities, despite how far apart they always seemed. Suddenly the heart monitor beside her began to lose its pulse, and Emily looked up in fear, and then looked out towards the hallway to call for the nurse, who came rushing in. Her hand still over Margaux's she squeezed her tightly, begging her, "Please, hang on… please just a little longer, Margaux, hang on!"

But it was too late. With her final breath Margaux spoke, "I lost my way once too…but you helped me find it. Thank you…Em…" her voice trailed off before she could finish the rest of her name, and Emily watched in shock as Margaux's eyes fell still, and a remaining tear rolled down her cheek as she expired.

On the other side of loss again, Emily felt her heart sink inside, filling her with sadness and anger as she stepped away, allowing the doctors that came rushing in to do their best to revive her, but to no avail. Shaken, she stepped over to catch her balance at the window sill, memories of so many she had lost flooding back to her, and in some subconscious sense of honor, that of the real Emily Thorne being foremost. She closed her eyes as she remembered holding Amanda in her arms the night she died, drifting out to sea as she bravely faced her impending death, pleading with Emily in similar fashion as Margaux had just done, to look after those she loved. Reliving the pain of that night, along with her mixed emotions of anger over Victoria's hand in yet another loss, and her concern for Daniel, Emily leaned on the sill for support as she bowed her head and finally broke down in tears.

END OF CHAPTER – Opening Titles "reven8e"