Disclaimer: I don't own the Revenge plot, but the new characters at the moment belongs to me

A/N: What a whirlwind last chapter, hopefully things move in the right direction soon 😊

Note for all chapters: I watched the finale multiple times, pausing it to get some form of a transcript of the article that Nolan was shown in the last few minutes, trust me; it wasn't easy so perhaps a cheeky little review for the effort I put in there?

Chapter 31

Scott tried to get through to me, but I just didn't want to hear it. I shut myself away in my room, refusing to talk to anyone or even accept food from Nolan. Instead, I would sneak out in the early hours of the morning and last hours of the night in order to feed myself for the day. Whilst my heart wanted nothing more than to jump back into Scott's arms, I needed time to process what had happened in the last few months. Being in the lion den was taxing to my mind. Not to mention I had just lost both Leo and Brody – and even though I wasn't in a romantic relationship with either of them when they died, I could not help but mourn.

Leo's funeral was hardest, stood across the way from Bella and Abigail standing beside Leonard Myers whilst Susie was to my right. She told me how she had missed me and that Leo had always wondered whether I would have said yes without his father's intervention. I even caught notice of Shannon and shared a momentarily conversation that consisted of an apology and small talk.

Not even Leo's funeral could prepare me for Brody's. I zipped up the back of my black dress, remembering the times he would playfully do my zip like it was a guitar. Jiggling it up and down. A solemn smile was on my face and I couldn't recall the last time I had a genuine smile on my face.

With a coat draped over my arm, I came out my room and walked slowly down the corridor and into the main room. As soon as my eyes found Nolan's, I felt the tears bubbling up.

"No tears, okay?" Nolan put his hands on either side of my face, kissing the top of it gently. "Brody wouldn't want that from the beautiful creature..."

"I can't do this," I whimpered. "If I go, it makes it all too real. Saying goodbye is too permanent. What I went through with him because of my father is still so raw."

"Riley, don't walk with the shadows." Nolan took my hand and Beckett's. "Three musketeers."

"Missing our D'Artagnan," I said quietly. "D'Artagnan- I mean, Scott. He isn't going to be there, is he?"

The pair of them remained silent, not answering the question as we all walked out the house. The wind brushed my tangled hair, pulling at the deep set knots. Brushing it was not on my list of priorities. On the windscreen of Nolan's car was an envelope addressed to me. The handwriting had been etched in my brain. I snatched it out from under the wipers and went to rip it up.

"Michelle." Nolan put a hand over the paper, squeezing it so that I stopped. "Read it."

The fact that Uno had used my name made me listen. Like when a mother uses their child's full name to put some impact behind the statement.

-o-

After the funeral, I held out the letter Brody had written for me whilst he was recovering in his wheelchair. I gave it to Nolan, hoping that he would understand. Nolan's eyes darted over the surface of the letter before he stared back at me.

"He found this out for Scott, didn't he?"

I looked away, scanning the empty cemetery. "Yes. And he paid for it with his life." I let out a gasp. "God- Nolan, too many people have died and I can feel their blood on my hands. I may not have pulled the trigger, but I signed the death warrant. Stella. My unborn baby. Agent Monaghan. Leo. Carley. Costello. Brody." The next thing on my mind was the hardest thing to say. "And none of them would have died if I had never met Scott."

Nolan shook his head. "You don't know that."

"I do!" I exclaimed. "Well I hope what Brody's given you is even to progress the fight for justice against Hydra. Because I'm about three days from exacting my revenge on Jordan Campbell."

"No!" he snapped angrily, grabbing my arm. "Don't do that!" Nolan's voice broke. "If you don't want more innocent people to die, then don't do it. I won't let you. Too many of my friends have died. You once told me that you didn't want me to list off all the names of people who had died in an attempt to put you off. But you have just used that against me."

I scoffed. "Mom would have slapped you for that." I hooked an arm around his back, pulling him close. "I miss her so much."

"So does Scott."

Way to ruin a perfect uncle-niece moment...

I turned to see where Nolan was looking and saw Scott standing there further down the path. My heart dropped. "You set me up. Why did you set me up?"

Nolan smirked at me. "Because it's tiring that the thing you two want is each other. Go." He gave me a sharp push.

"I'll kill you too. Three days Nolan. Three days"

Scott unbuttoned his blazer, resting his hand on his hip. Macho stance alert. A little bit heart-melting. He was about to explain that I was in the wrong. "Can I talk?"

"You've not got long before I start to kick your arse into affinity... And it kills me to say that because you are wearing one hell of a-" My brows dropped into a deep scowl. "Fine."

"Riley. I- I- uh, I messed up."

I couldn't resist making snippy comments. "Got that right."

"Riley... I messed up really bad. I was stupid to even think that it was an idea to let you go back to your father. You should have never left. You are my life, my love, my everything. And I mean, everything." He moved towards me, taking my hands in his.

And I let him. I didn't want to let him snake his way back in, but I feared that Scott already has.

"So do you want to explain how Bella came back into your life?" I said harshly. "Because that's really being tearing me apart and I can't really look past that until I know the truth."

Scott didn't waiver at all. "Bella needed someone to help her out. Without Leo around, she didn't have anyone. And before you throw it back at me, when Bella said our room, she meant her and Abigail. Not her and me. Do you honestly think that I would do that to you? Riley, I love you."

"I don't know what I thought, Scott. To be honest, I genuinely thought that you believed I got back together with Brody."

"Well, I did," Scott whispered.

It was a complete wave of relief that was washed over me.

"You know. There's something that my mother always used to tell me, but I don't want to say it just yet." I half smiled. "Not yet."

"Oh- and why's that?"

"Because I love you to hell and back and I want to use it in my wedding speech. If you can find it in your heart to forgive me and take me back."

Scott let go of my hands and I immediately knew I had said something wrong.

"Sorry. I said something wrong, didn't I? That was too forward, and we are in a difficult point in our life." I turned to walk back to Beckett and my uncle, but then a grip tightened on my hand. "Scott?"

"Can we go back to where we were before you left?"

"I believe you said that you would leave everything as it was in order to save face." I felt tears on my face. "This feels really inappropriate, it's Brody's funeral."

Scott's hand reached to the inside pocket of his blazer and pulled out a small square of paper. He hesitantly opened it up and showed the paper to me. Brody's handwriting is etched on the paper.

Marry her before it's too late. Take care of her, or I'll come for you.

"He really wanted to leave everything all neat and tidy. Come with us for dinner next week?"

-o-

After Nolan agreed for the four of us to have dinner, I waited by the door for Scott to arrive. He pulled up in a new car. When I commented on it, he told me that being without him caused him to make some crazy decisions.

"Ground rules, we take things slower, working up to where we were before." I paused, pressing my hands against his chest. "I am so-"

"If you say you're sorry, then I'm going to have to force you to engage in a common teenage makeup session, complete with an overload of tongue."

"Oh god, alright- stop it!" I squeaked, pushing him away and trying to laugh. "I have missed this so much. Promise me we won't let anything get in the way of us ever after?"

Scott planted a kiss on my lips. "Never."

Pulling Scott inside felt like I was introducing him to Nolan for the first time. "Nolan, there's someone here that wants to see you."

"I hope he's not working on a revenge case against some huge drug cartel."

Scott squeezed my hand tightly. "How about a business corporation? That's different..."

Nolan and Beckett had set out a small platter of dishes on the coffee table. They had an arm around the other and they looked so happy. Even happier when they saw me and Scott together. We were a couple of couples. A pair of potentially engaged couples.

"D'Artagnan, welcome back. It's good to see you again, Scott." Nolan smiled. "Told you she'd come around eventually."

It wasn't great that I had so predictable to my uncle, but I loved him for it all the same. I wondered if he could tell that I wanted to marry Scott right there and then. Scott was exactly what he had said about me. My life, my love, my everything.

"Okay, Riley. Quit gawping and sit down," Beckett whispered, kissing the side of my temple. "Good to see you again. Even better to see you smiling again."

I lowered myself to the space beside Scott and took a piece of cheese from the board, nibbling a corner of it. The conversation was light and breezy, with no mentioning of Hydra, the court case or any news coverage on the deaths in the building site. Not to mention Scott stole the piece of cheese in my fingers. Cheeky thing that he was.

"Right, I would like everyone's attention for something," Scott said nervously, standing up with a slap of his thighs. He smiled and put a hand on my shoulder to silence me. "I know that Riley and I have had our ups and down, but whenever we're together, I know we'll be fine."

Nolan squeezed his fiancé. "Yeah, we've seen the car..."

"Give me a break, Nolan. But seriously, this one right here. She's my world. The planets don't revolve around the sun, they revolve around her. At least they do to me. Riley..." Scott pulled me up to my feet before dropping down onto one knee. "You've said no once before, so I'll ask again. Will you do me the honour of making me the happiest man in the universe? By marrying me of course."

My head whipped around to Nolan who nodded. "Yes," I said. "Yes times infinity."

Scott whisked me up in his arms and swung me around. "Are you sure?" he asked with a shaky voice. "Really sure."

"Really, really."

"What happened to taking it slow?" he asked with a serious face.

-o-

There was one thing that was playing on my mind when I moved back into Scott and I's house. The case against Hydra was diminishing.

Arnie Coople – the journalist who had destroyed Trinity's credibility, was dead.

Shannon Fisher had revealed that Leonard Myers was pursuing Trinity Patterson. The PA admitted that the evidence before was misconstrued to make Scott's mother look bad and someone had beaten her up to try and silence her. Or someone wanted to be rid of Susie Myer's illegitimate daughter.

Todd Bell was guilty of his own infidelities, something that I never understood if his wife knew the truth or not. What people didn't seem to piece together was that the money that went 'missing' had been used elsewhere. In projects that Leonard Myers and Todd wanted to keep secret. I believed that a small portion of that money was gifted to Wendy Bell and the family were preparing to move to Canada in an effort to escape the aftermath of any problems. Wendy unfortunately knew of his infidelities and not-so-secret meetings at Club Cat's Eye.

As for Mitchell and Karen Casey, they were turning out to be rather a problem. There wasn't much we knew about them and the part they played. Well, we knew that Karen was now married to a Mr Lockton, giving her Lockton Manor where she was able to watch over Scott when he had an emotional breakdown.

Angela was going to be watching us all very closely, but as the receptionist of Hydra Corporation, she probably knew ten times more than she was letting on. Everything that must have passed through the company, she must have known about. It didn't make sense that she couldn't have.

"Riley?" Scott called out to me from the kitchen. "There's someone else who wants to meet you... Go on... Go."

I listened carefully until I heard the unsteady shuffle and then a tiny little thing popped into view. "Vinnie!" I wrapped my arms around the little toddler, squeezing him so tightly that I was glad he wasn't one of those eye popping toys.

"He's missed you."

I looked up to see Bella with Abigail sleeping in her arms.

"I hear congratulations are in order- for your upcoming nuptials. Hopefully Scott will be able to see this one through- all the way."

"At least I won't have any bedroom problems and finding myself in the wrong one." I noticed a glance from Scott and my heart shuddered. "Right- if we are to live under the same roof, then we should learn to get along. For Scott's sake, more than our own."

"For Abigail's sake." Bella frowned at me.

I carried Vinnie towards the kitchen, playfully bounding up and down with huge, overexaggerated steps to make him squeal and chuckle. "And don't you have the cutest little giggle ever?"

Scott put an arm around me. "I thought you said I had the best laugh."

"Yeah, but- well you got competition."

-o-

Settling into a house filled with my fiancé, his ex, that ex's baby and my nephew-to-be was a strange situation to come to terms with, but being back with Scott after so long felt so incredibly right.

Only, Jordan Campbell was lurking in the shadows, and set to make an arrival at a family even he was not invited to. The wedding of Ross and Beckett. The venue was small and secluded, with only their nearest and dearest there to make sure they saw it through. There were tears in my eyes as I saw them properly tie the knot. Jack and Amanda were there too- with their newest addition to the family – Emily. From what I've heard about their history, it seemed only fitting. I was pleased that all the transplants and surgeries paid off, because they looked so happy. Louise was also present, laughing at the thought that she married Nolan first. Scott squeezed my hand hard, as if to say 'that will be us some day' and I grinned at him. Hoping that my face wasn't looking like too much of mess.

The reception afterwards was delightful – partying on until the early hours of the morning. Beckett, Nolan, Scott and I were sat on the decking of the venue. I had a blanket draped over my legs as I curled up beside my fiancé.

"How does it feel to say you are Mr and Mr Ross?" I asked, lacing my fingers with Scott's.

Beckett laughed. "Who said it would be Ross? Could be Beckett..."

"Alright Jason. But you've got a husband now, how is that?"

He shrugged weakly. "It doesn't change anything." Beckett patted Nolan's chest, jerking his head over to the door. "Come on you. Bedtime."

Nolan swung his head around to look at Beckett. "I'll see you upstairs," he said, a slight tipsy twinge to his voice. "Promise."

Beckett walked into the main building, leaving the door slightly ajar.

"Go on Nolan, go up to bed." I smiled at Nolan. "I am so so happy for you that I can't even put it into words."

My uncle stood up slowly, pushing Scott back when he went to help. "I can make it to my room."

Then another voice spoke saying, "Oh please don't tell me I've missed the nuptials."

Jordan Campbell. How did he find me? I thought, mind ablaze with negative thoughts. He had never seen me as Riley, but with my hair not yet properly dyed away from its blonde curls, he was bound to connect the dots and see straight through it. Maybe this is what I needed, for him to know exactly what his little daughter had been up to since she left the compound.

I got up to my feet, stepping out of my heels and turning to see my biological father in the doorway.

"Michelle?" Jordan stammered.

"Sorry, but Michelle is long gone," I replied coldly. "And the pieces start to fall into place. I was Michelle Devon Campbell. Now I am Riley Melanie Osborne. You have no place in my heart."

Jordan's face didn't flinch. "You think I didn't know that?"

"No," I said sternly, calling his bluff. "Your late girlfriend let slip. She caught me out, and you couldn't see it because you were blind to it."

He started to clap. Slow and sarcastic. "Michelle always knew when I was bluffing." Jordan clicked his fingers, giving the signal. "But it's too late for you to barter your way out of this one."

Two of my dad's henchmen emerged from the shadows, advancing on Nolan and Scott. Both of them had been celebrating, matching one another drink for drink. Asking them to defend themselves and fight would be pointless, so I accepted I would be the one to do it for them.

Lifting my fists up to fight felt futile, but necessary. Scott seemed to do the same, swaying slightly. I pulled Nolan towards me, flying past him with a leg extended and cracking into the first guy's ribcage. The momentum pushed them backwards marginally as well as sending me back into Nolan. Scott supported my intoxicated uncle whilst throwing punches at the second henchman. The second henchman wrapped his arms around Scott, threading him into a headlock. Distracted, I didn't see the first guy behind me, lifting me off the floor.

I thrashed about, kicking my legs like I was at the swimming section of a triathlon. The connected with his legs a couple of times, but not enough to do any damage or free myself.

Something snapped and I felt my body fall to the ground, cracking against the ground.

-o-

"Riley! Riley, wake up!" Beckett's voice echoed in my ear. "Come on kid, come back..."

I stirred, opening my eyes to see the decking stretching out towards the sand. With a pounding in my head, I sat up slowly. Beckett's hands guided me up. "What happened?"

Beckett looked distressed. "Where are Nolan and Scott?"

I looked down, running the events of the wedding in my mind. Up until Beckett leaving and Nolan saying he would be up in a second.

"Then my dad showed up." The words choked me. "He's taken them. As payment for my defiance."

Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = These guys just can't catch a break, can they?