Hey guys! So, I thought I'd start off this story or buy time until I start posting for it by posting a little interlude in the months between Season One and Season Two. Just quick snap shots basically over the three month break between killing sprees. The link to Athena's new outfit during December and the first trailer will be found on my profile. I'll try to start editing up Season Two and posting it soon. Enjoy!

WHEN THE AX FALLS

Previously On...

It was like a dull claw ripped into her life and tore it to shreds, leaving her with only the aftermath. It was a single moment, one meeting and it was all blown to hell. And suddenly, her life wasn't the same. Athena was starting her senior year off on the worst foot. She knew no one, she was just the new girl, the odd one.

Emma and a group of kids walked into the room and she had them come sit next to her, "Hey Athena, these are my friends. This is my boyfriend, Will," she rested her hand delicately on the pale brunette boy's chest briefly before gesturing to a blonde girl with bangs to her eyes, "this is Brooke Maddox." She then pointed to the tan boy with wavy black hair who wore a flirty smile, "That's Jake Fitzgerald."

An Asian girl next to him smiled for herself and did a little wave, "I'm Riley—Marra. Our friend Nina is playing hooky today but I'm sure you'll meet her tomorrow."

"Nice to meet you all," Athena muttered, going back to her sketching.

"Jules Tyler."

There was another lull of silence. Branson repeated the name twice more before the new girl in the back raised her hand, startled, "That's me, but, um, I go by Athena."

"Who's Brandon James?"

Noah piped in, as a resident expert, "Uh, he killed a bunch of students twenty years ago. He, um... he cut some others up," he pulled out his phone and quickly showed a grainy photo of a deformed boy to them, "This is him. Emma's dad got stabbed. He almost died. Brandon had Proteus syndrome, like the elephant man. People say he was born a monster, but I think he was bullied and beaten into one."

"Oh," Ian realized. "This is Sam. I forgot, you don't know him actually. Sam this is... Athena."

He looked at her and she felt for the first time that she was meeting someone who didn't expect anything out of her, and didn't look at her and see someone else entirely. At least, out of all the people who knew who she really was. "It's nice to meet you, Athena," he held out his hand for her.

The school was buzzing again, this time about a gruesome suicide by none other than Audrey's partner in the girl on girl video someone posted on the internet. Poor Rachel Murray was the victim of a lot of cyber bullying apparently, and suffered from depression.

"I was there," Sam repeated, his face turning down into a serious frown, his face covered in guilt and shame. "I saw the whole thing and I could have done something. I tried – but I failed."

Athena blew out a sigh full of air and ran a hand through her hair, "Have you been walking around all this time blaming yourself? Sam, that's ridiculous. You were a kid, what, seven? What the hell were you supposed to do?"

"Something!" he shouted, throwing his hands up in the air. "Anything!"

"But I forgive you. Not that I ever needed to, but... you can forgive yourself."

"I don't think I can, honestly," he confessed.

Emma hovered at the front counter in her uniform while Audrey and Athena stood at the other side. "At first, I thought it was just some loser playing with his new voice changer app on his phone," Emma explained. "But he won't leave me alone."

Just behind her, Noah and Audrey arrived just as the EMTs were wheeling out a black body bag on a gurney. Noah looked at the body bag, "Is that Riley?"

Elena pressed her lips to Athena's, both their eyes closing. Athena froze briefly, not understanding what the hell was going on. But Elena's lips were insistent against hers. She pulled away, blinking her eyes open to Elena's confused face. "What are you doing?"

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," Elena babbled, blushing deep red. "I thought you were... I mean..."

"I am," Athena cut her off, her lips pursed. "But why are you doing this? I'm not okay with being someone's experiment."

"I like you," Elena whispered, blushing deeper. "It's the first time I've liked a girl, and I'm a little confused. But it's not an experiment."

Athena looked up, seeing all three of them looking at her, and sighed, "Look, I've gotten things in my room. Just a couple..."

"What were they?" Noah asked eagerly, earning another jab from Audrey.

"Well, after my first day here, there was a note in my room asking if my name was Jules or Athena and that my secret would come out," she explained. "Then today I got a package – a wooden heart with the word 'UNKOWN' carved into it."

"The truth lies where the mask was made," Noah read the wording around Emma's dad's photo, then looked at Athena. "Mr. Branson called you Jules on the roll sheet that first day. What secret is the killer talking about?"

"I wasn't born Athena Tyler," she revealed to them. "Until about a month ago, I thought my name was Athena Contos. I thought my parents were Alonzo and Gretchen Contos."

"You thought?" Audrey questioned.

Athena nodded, "...a lady cop comes in to tell me that my parents aren't my parents."

"They weren't your parents?" Emma asked. "Who were they then?"

"My kidnappers," Athena breathed.

Emma gasped and she, Audrey and Noah all looked at each other before looking back at her. Noah gaped, "Kidnappers? Oh, my god."

Athena nodded, "Yeah. Apparently they couldn't have children of their own, and adoptions had fallen through last minute three times in a row. They lost hope. And they lost it. So, they came to a random town – Lakewood – and picked up a baby at the park. I was three years old. There was no trace of me after that. Until I started applying for jobs with a dummy social security number. Then the police found me, arrested my dad – I mean, Alonzo – and returned me to my real family. Biologically, Diana and Till are my parents, Ian and Lana are my siblings."

"Talk to us, Athena. Tell us what's bother you. Be honest – for once," Diana plead.

"Honest?" Athena laughed sarcastically. "You want to measure up honesty here, Diana? Fine, why did you never tell anyone that you knew my mother?" She cut herself off, letting out another scoffing laugh, "Sorry – my kidnapper."

Diana gaped as all eyes turned to her. Ian asked with narrowed eyes, "What?"

"Yeah, tell 'em Diana," Athena spat. "You knew Gretchen. She lived here, in Lakeview. She went to your school, she was in your class. All this time, you knew who she was. At least since she was named as my kidnapper when I was found. So, how come you held back?"

"I – I," Diana stuttered.

"It's true?" Till asked, stepping away from Diana to look at her. "You knew Gretchen Contos?"

"She was Gretchen Linda back then," Athena corrected, "but yeah, you knew her, Diana. Were you friends with her? Did you ever suspect that she was the one who had me? All these years?"

"I didn't know she took you," Diana spoke as if she was gasping for air, as if there wasn't enough around her. "God, if I did, I would've-"

"You would've what?" Athena cut her off. "Would have spoken up? Is this why you can't even acknowledge what happened? The reason you just try to ignore the glaring elephant in the room when you and I are around each other? Pretend it's not there? Because you feel guilty."

Diana didn't say anything, looking down at the ground.

"That's just great," Athena muttered. "Well, I'm done with it. I'm done trying to tip toe in this house because I feel like a stranger. I'm done trying to tip toe around you because you want me to be someone I'm not. You don't know anything about me – my favorite color, where I want to go to college, what I like to do. Because you don't care to ask. Because you don't want me to stray from who you envisioned Jules would be if she was still here. Well, tough shit, Diana. I'm Athena, not Jules. And nothing you do is going to change that." With that rant finally dragged from her throat and lungs, she twisted on her heel and raced up the stairs, slamming her bedroom door.

Athena patted Emma's back, "Everyone has their stuff. As long as they're honest about the important stuff, none of that matters. I'm here for you."

Emma nodded into her shoulder and pulled back a little, "Yeah, you're right." Her face fell a little as she stared at Athena. She tentatively tilted her head and leaned forward, pressing her lips to hers. It was chaste and slow and all around nice.

Athena let Emma kiss her until she was ready to pull back and then asked, "What are you doing, Emma?"

"I'm—I'm sorry," Emma blushed, dipping her head.

Athena gently smiled and cupped Emma's face to pull her up to look at her, "Don't be sorry. Don't be confused. This isn't the time, place or person for you Emma, and I think you know that. It's okay to have your moments, but I'm telling you right now that I'm not this person for you. I'm your friend."

"I know," Emma breathed, nodding emphatically. "I just wanted to feel close to someone I can trust."

"We can be close without being close," Athena teased her, pecking her lips a little to emphasize her point. "Don't worry, Emma. Everything going on right now will be a memory eventually. This guy will mess up – they all do at some point. In the meantime, I'm here for you, and we'll figure this all out together."

"Thank you," she repeated, going for another hug.

Athena just hugged her, hoping to bits that what she had said would turn out to be true.

Sam looked down at her, also noticing how close they were, and feeling like the ground could swallow him whole any minute if he didn't do something about it. So, he did. He leaned down, slowly, almost daring himself to do it, or waiting for her to turn her head or grimace and tell him to stop. But she didn't, she just kept looking up at him. They could both feel themselves holding their breath as they got closer until finally, their lips descended on each other's.

Athena had never had a fireworks moment, but this certainly was one. She felt tingles in her stomach as his large arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her close to him. She couldn't believe that this was happening. She weaved her arms around his waist and huddled closer, letting their tongues slid against each other.

Emma and Athena came to a halt when they got through the barn, seeing Will tied up to a chair with tape on his mouth, struggling against his bound hands. There was a large machine behind him, with sharp blades rotating just above his head. Emma gasped, "Will!"

She went to run forward to help him but Athena grabbed her arm and stopped her, "Emma! Stop, remember he said that it's what you're gonna do. He wanted you to run."

"What are you talking about?" Emma shrieked. "We have to get him out."

Will was trying to scream in his bounds, shaking his head vehemently.

"No," Athena insisted. "Remember what Noah said – he's trying to make the deaths your fault. All of them. Riley – he made you choose out of us. Will – he made you search for him. Now, he has to have another way to pin this on you somehow, just stop – don't move."

Athena looked over at the machine, seeing gears behind him with a string tied to one of them. She knew this was a trap. That was the killer's MO. She tried to follow the string but it disappeared under the grass. "Emma, stay here. Call the police. I'll figure this out."

Emma was crying and bringing her phone to her ear, rapidly talking to the Sheriff over the line, "Yeah, he—he went after Will again. We're at the Belmont farm, just get here please—please."

Athena took careful slow steps, dragging her feet in case it was a land mine kind of trap, but eventually she encountered a string parallel to the ground. She took a large step above it and felt safe enough to run to Will and bend down behind him, untying his hands. As he went to stand, she saw his head get close to the blades and yanked on his hand off to the side so he was away from the machine.

"Will!" Emma cried out as the boy ripped the tape from his mouth. She ran forward, tripping over the string. The blades of the machine went down, annihilating the chair into pieces.

Emma reached Will's side and gazes at the broken chair, "That would have killed you if I had kept running."

"It didn't," Will assured her, looking over at Athena. "I guess that's twice now that you've saved my life?"

"Who's counting, pretty boy?" Athena joked.

"You just couldn't help yourself, could you?" a deep techno, gravely voice answered her, chilling her bones. "You little, meddlesome bitch. You ruined everything!"

"I think I'm okay with that," she answered, trying to keep the false bravado in her voice.

"Sure, you are. For now. But remember, I don't forgive," he warned, the call cutting off with an audible click.

Athena felt a pulsing pain in her head as her vision started to get less blurry. She blinked a few times as she heard someone calling her name, "Athena! Wake up, please. Tell me you're okay!"

"Sam?" she asked, groaning as she tried to move. But she couldn't. She tugged but her hands were tied. She tried to move her legs but they were tied down to something too. Her vision was finally clear enough to see that she was strapped down to a chair. She looked around and noticed that she was back in that damned bowling alley. In front of her were the bowling lanes, but two people were bound to chairs just like she was.

She could finally make out the sniffling person in the lane next to Sam. "Oh my god—Elena!"

"What the hell is going on?" Elena cried.

"I don't know," Athena whimpered. "I'm so sorry."

The killer's voice came over the speakers, "I don't forgive, bitch. It's your turn to choose who lives and who dies. It's time I paid more attention to you anyway, right?"

"No! You're crazy!" Athena shouted to the ceiling. "I'm not doing this! I'm not choosing anything!"

"You will," the voice warned. "Choose which one lives and which one dies tonight. Who will it be, Jules? Will it be poor confused Elena? The girl who is ashamed of you and your relationship because you're both girls. Or will it be Sam? Your knight in shining armor, always there for you, but always pushing you to accept the family that rejects who you really are. Choose. Tick tock, Jules."

"My name isn't Jules!" she screamed, tears already making their way down her face. "I'm not doing this! I won't choose!"

Elena sobbed. "I don't want to die."

Sam stared at Athena, "Athena, it's okay. Choose her, okay?"

"I can't choose. I won't."

"How sweet," that chilling voice said before there was an audible click of the system turning off.

"I'm not doing this!" Athena shouted again as the killer pressed the flat of the blade to Sam's cheek. She could hear Sam trying to shout from under his tape but she couldn't tell what he was trying to tell her. Elena was still sobbing, her face completely dirtied with her makeup. She was looking down in her lap, scared to death. Athena could even see tears in Sam's eyes.

The killer tilted the knife against Sam's neck, pressing the sharp blade lightly to his skin. Athena's heart stopped as she lurched forward in her bound seat and shouted instinctively, "No, don't hurt him!"

The killer paused, cocking his head, and abruptly pulled the knife away from Sam's neck. He gave a half bow and briskly walked over to Elena.

"No, no, no!" Athena shouted. "Stop! Don't hurt her either! Just stop this—kill me!"

But he didn't listen to her. Without hesitation he grabbed Elena's hair and pulled her head back, pressing the knife to her throat and slicing deeply in one clean swipe. Athena screamed out, no words, just a long wail of pain. The killer gave her another bow and ran out the back entrance.

Athena screamed until her throat was raw. She only vaguely noticed Sam still struggling to get out of his chair. She knew that they were there for a while, but she didn't know if it was one hour or twelve. Before she finally heard voices calling her name, "Athena Tyler! Athena Tyler, are you in here?"

She felt numb, she felt hopeless. She couldn't even open her mouth to answer them. But they swarmed into the place. She felt someone untie her and ask her if she was injured, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything back. She heard Sam's voice try to comfort her and felt his arms around her as he led her out of the bowling alley. She was deposited into the back of an ambulance as someone flashed a light in her eyes, but she didn't react. She saw them wheeling Elena's body covered in a sheet past her, but still she didn't speak.

Till and Diana were standing stiffly next to each other with mugs of coffee in their hands, standing opposite a dark haired woman sitting on one of the stools. She looked eerily like the high school photo of Gretchen Athena had found at the hospital. But she knew who this woman was. She gasped, dropping her bag limply to the floor as she stared at the woman, "Aunt Abby?"

The woman swiveled in her stool and stood up, nodding, "Hi sweetie."

Overwhelmed with emotion, Athena rushed forward to hug her Aunt tightly, choking on her tears. "I thought I wouldn't ever see you again. I miss you so much."

"I know, I know, sweetie," Abby kissed her head over and over, whispering. "But I'm here now."

Will carefully shifted down the bed and took her in his arms, letting her head fall between his shoulder and his neck, "Don't cry. I'm alive because of you. I'm not going anywhere. And hopefully this guy gets caught before he kills anyone else."

Athena let herself cry for a little while longer, she had no idea how long, before she sniffed and composed herself enough to stop. But she still lay nestled in the crook of his neck, being comforted b someone she wasn't responsible for losing or getting killed. "I don't understand. I don't get it. What does he want?"

"I don't know," Will answered honestly. "And I don't care. All I care about is that he gets what's coming to him before anyone else gets hurt. So, we can all move on, we will survive this."

Athena cocked her head to the side, taking him in, "I hope one day I can believe you, Pretty boy."

He chuckled, "Do you think you'll ever not call me Pretty boy?"

She laughed and shook her head, "Not until I think of a better nick name."

"Fair enough," he smirked kindly.

"I wanted to protect you. I just couldn't. I was in that chair, and I was helpless. I couldn't do anything," Sam ranted. "I don't ever want to feel like that again. I want to be in a position where I can actually do something. So, I've been thinking about it, and I'm going to be leaving soon."

Athena felt heat rise up in her face, "Leaving?"

"I want to go to the police academy," he revealed. "Clark is going to help me out but there's no police academy nearby. So, I'll have to leave Lakeview. Soon, so I can get settled somewhere, because it will take a while. I'm not running away from you," Sam swore, stepping in front of her so they were nearly touching. "I'm not running away from what happened. I'm just trying to turn it into something useful. I've been searching for a better path in life for a while and I just didn't know what I wanted. Now, I do. I want to protect people like us from the psychos out there."

"I understand," Athena muttered, trying to hide her emotions. She still cared for Sam, more than he knew, and she didn't want to lose him. But at the same time, she wanted what was best for him, and maybe that wasn't her. "I hope you have luck out there, wherever you end up."

"I'll keep in touch," Sam offered lamely. "And I'll always be there for you. No matter what."

She nodded, letting a lone tear fall down her cheek. He cupped her face in his hands and wiped away her tear with his thumb. He then leaned down and kissed her, passionately, slowly, fully, since it was quite possibly the last time he would get the chance. She immediately kissed him back, winding her arms around his neck and letting him pull her closer to him. One arm wrapped around her back and pulled her flush with his body while the other stayed cupped around her jaw, tilting her head back so he could get closer.

To her, it felt like she would explode with emotion. Sam was leaving – the same Sam she had come to trust so much. But she had to be happy for him. That was the only option for her. She had to let him go.

They pulled away, panting a little bit, pressing their foreheads together. Sam licked his lips, "God, I'm going to miss you."

"I'll miss you too," she whispered, scared of breaking the moment.

"All right," Will let out a shaky breath. "Let's end this."

"If I really get to shoot the bastard, I'm gonna shit rainbows," Athena quipped. She opened the box of bullets and emptied the magazine, methodically sliding the ammo into it. She slid the mag into place and made sure the safety was on.

Athena could barely hold in any audible reaction to discovering that Piper had been the killer all along. That she was Emma's secret half-sibling. That she was Branson and Maggie's lovechild, bent on revenge. She had never gotten that vibe from Piper. She could feel real rage building up in her veins at true confirmation of the monster who killed Elena in front of her, who put the blame on her, who played mind games with her after everything she'd already been through.

Emma still kept a good grip on the knife she brought. Athena had stopped listening for the most part, trying to move through the brush unseen so she could get a clean shot. She nearly gave herself away when Piper sliced Emma's stomach, despite Maggie's cries. So, instead of staying hidden, she broke through the trees to the top of the dock, gesturing for Maggie and Emma to stay quiet.

"So now, Mommy dearest, you're gonna get to watch her die," Piper cackled. "But Emma, I have one more surprise for you before I open you up. And you'll never see it coming..."

"Piper!" Athena yelled, wanting to see the bitch's face.

Piper turned around, seeming only slightly shocked but still smugly grinning, "Daddy's little girl."

Athena didn't hesitate before aiming and pulling the trigger. The gunshot echoed in the stale air as Piper fell to the ground with a bullet in her forehead.

"Athena!?" Emma shrieked in disbelief. "Oh, god thank god. Thank you so much."

Athena just stood at the front of the dock, numbly staring at Piper's body. It was over. It was actually over.

For now.

INTERLUDE

NOVEMBER

"Daddy's little girl..."

Athena sat at her computer, having googled her 'father's' name. She found the articles about her kidnapping, naming him as the sole person caught. She found an article about how Gretchen Contos was on the run from the authorities for aiding in the kidnapping. They made it sound like Alonzo was the mastermind behind the whole thing and just roped Gretchen into it, like Stockholm Syndrome or something. Athena couldn't believe that. She couldn't believe that Gretchen didn't have an equal if not more of a part in the whole thing. After all, they chose Athena because she was from Lakeview, Gretchen's home town.

She then found another article about Alonzo's previous record that was sealed because he was a minor when certain things happened. It didn't specify what, because the records were still sealed. But it did say that the record existed. She wondered how her parents could have gotten even close to adopting a child the legal way if that was the case, but maybe since the records were sealed, it wasn't much a deterrent. The adoptions fell through for other reasons, and her parents snapped and stole her away.

Piper's last words were still ringing in her head all these weeks later. "Daddy's little girl." She had said that, grinning at Athena like a cat devouring the canary, like her plan was unfolding just the way she wanted it to. And she had been wondering about it ever since. Almost enough to drive her crazy. Almost enough to regret shooting Piper before she could get her answers. But she didn't regret it. Piper was better dead.

The printer next to her computer at her desk roared to life as it started printing out the articles she wanted. She watched as Alonzo's face slowly churned out in black and white, next to a photo of her at three years old, when she was first taken.

She took it out once it was done and sliced up the pictures out of the article. She took out some push pins from a jar on her desk and turned around to get out of her chair. She walked over to her open closet, the clothes all pushed to either side to reveal a bulletin board. It wasn't completely covered yet. There were photos and bullet lists of facts about them – Piper, Emma, Brandon James and now, Alonzo and her.

The facts she knew about her 'father' were sparse if they were even true. She knew how he raised her. She knew where he said he was from, where he said he went to college. She had met friends of his before, people who were like family to her growing up. But looking back in retrospect, what if they weren't just drinking buddies? What if they were accomplices?

If Piper somehow knew her father, she had no idea what this whole mess was or how far or deep it went. She knew Piper couldn't be working alone, but Alonzo couldn't have been her accomplice. But he could still be a part of it.

Part of her figured that she was over-thinking it. The whole time everything was happening, she had become a mystery for the killer. Maybe Piper had just discovered the truth of Athena's background and wanted to taunt her with it before she died.

Still, she stuck Alonzo's photo up next to Piper's and then grabbed her spiral notebook to start jotting down facts she knew – even if she doubted them – about him.

He was born in 1966

Claims to be from Portland

Claims to have attended college, graduated with honors. Can't find any record of that.

Married to Gretchen Linda in 1996 – she was 18, he was 30.

He's trained in different fighting styles, and with different guns and knives. He trained her himself growing up.

He always told her that she was meant for something bigger. But what?

That was all she could bear or remember to write down at the moment. For her own list, she just listed the essentials she had once believed about herself, compared to the truth. Tacking them underneath her photos, she proceeded back to her computer to do more research.

There was a soft knock at her door. She stammered, "Just a minute," and bookmarked the articles on her web browser before closing it. She then shoved the snippets of articles she already printed onto her closet floor before closing it. To cover, she slipped on a fluffy robe over her pajamas and called out, "Come in."

Diana poked her head into the door, "Hey, sweetie. You have some visitors downstairs. I didn't know if you were awake yet."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm just about to get dressed. Who's here?" she answered and asked.

"Noah and Audrey," Diana told her. "Do you want me to tell them you'll be down in a minute?"

"No, you can just send them up," she said. "I'll be dressed."

"Okay," Diana said before shutting the door, her footsteps fading.

Athena quickly tossed off her robe and pajamas and slipped on some jeans and a thermal shirt just as there was another knock at the door. "Come in."

Noah burst in excitedly, "Did you listen to this week's show?"

Athena laughed, "Sure, I did. You're gaining some momentum after taking over for a serial killer."

Noah frowned playfully, "It's not like I took up her other extra curricular activities."

"Anyway," Audrey cut in, "Noah has this harebrained idea and request of you."

"What is it?" Athena asked as she slipped flats onto her feet.

"I want everyone to come onto the show, one at a time, to talk about what we went through," Noah explained, a bit more reserved. But it looked like he was holding back his real energy. "One at a time, so each person's point of view can help the whole story unfold slowly. And, arguably, your point of view is one of the most important – seeing as you... killed Piper, and all."

"You want me to go on your show and get interviewed?" Athena asked incredulously. "Not gonna happen."

Noah guffawed, "What? But – but Audrey's going to! So is Jake!"

"Jake is an attention whore," Athena pointed out, grabbing her cell phone from its docking station. "Of course he's going on the show."

"Will is one the fence," Noah kept listing off. "But Brooke and Kieran agreed too. It'll all be classy, and respectful. I swear."

Athena sighed in exasperation, "Noah, I have yet to be revealed as Jules Tyler, kidnap victim, to anyone except for you guys and Piper. I am not about to come onto your show and out myself and invite all that public scrutiny into my life."

Noah opened up his mouth to argue with her but she held up her finger and kept talking, "And don't say we can keep that part out of it – people are still asking why that psycho bitch roped me into everything. We are just convincing them that I was just along for the ride. So, no."

Noah opened up his mouth again but she cut him off again, "Don't ask again – or I'll drop kick you."

Athena dragged Audrey and Noah to the coffee shop and paid for Noah's frappe to make up for not going onto his show. They were sitting at the couches, sipping their drinks, and discussing other aspects of the podcast when Will and Jake walked in.

Jake smirked when he saw them, "Hey, Mr. Man. I'm ready for my close up."

Jake started posing with his face, just for Audrey to deadpan, "It's a podcast, no one's gonna see your ugly mug."

Will laughed as he took a seat on the couch across from them, next to Athena, "When are you gonna go on?"

"That's up to boss man here," Jake said, clapping Noah on his shoulder before sitting next to him and Audrey. "I'm yours to interview."

"How about tomorrow?" Noah suggested. "I've worked it out so I've got a new episode every uploaded every Saturday. It'll give me time to edit in music and created a promo before uploading."

"I got you," Jake responded.

"Will," Noah looked at the other boy, "have you decided if you'll let me interview you too?"

Will shrugged reluctantly, "I don't know. I mean, I nearly got split in half."

"Which will make you one of the most interesting ones!" Noah exclaimed with vigorous hand gestures.

Will chuckled and gave Athena a look, "What about you? When are you going on?"

She scoffed, "I'm not."

"Why not?" he asked, only curious.

"Because I like my privacy, as Athena Tyler," she stressed her current name so as to clue him in without cluing in the whole coffee shop.

He nodded slowly, understanding, "Ah, I see."

"You don't have that problem," Noah eagerly pointed out. "You're Golden Boy, Will Bellmont, who escaped Piper's wrath not once but twice."

"He didn't escape," Jake laughed. "He got his ass saved by a girl – twice."

"A very capable girl," Will shrugged, not minding the stigma.

"A girl who can kick your ass just as well as save it," Athena muttered, narrowing her eyes at Jake.

Jake quickly looked away, feigning innocence.

"Where's Brooke?" Audrey asked him.

Jake shrugged, "She's off with Daddy, bonding and what not in the face of near death experiences."

"And campaigning a brighter, safer Lakewood?" Athena asked, titling her head sarcastically.

"Or that," Jake answered.

"How very touching," Audrey said, standing up. "I gotta change before work. I'll see you guys later."

Noah stood up with her, "I'm gonna prepare for the show tomorrow. Jake – I'll see you at noon."

"Sure thing, Mr. Man," Jake smirked. "I'm gonna order my Jake-ice-coffee."

"And I'm gonna head home," Athena sighed just after Audrey and Noah left. "Ian's finally agreed to go back to school for the Spring semester. He's leaving to settle into his new apartment next week so we're having family time at every possible moment. Diana's empty nesting to an extreme."

"She's still got you and Lana," Will commented. "How are things at the house, anyway? Things smoother with Diana?"

"It's smooth-er than before, I guess," she answered. "We had this heart to heart chat after the police finished questioning me that night. She promised to never withhold from me again, and I promised not to hold it over her anymore."

"Do you think your relationship will ever get closer?" he asked.

She shrugged, pocketing her phone, "I don't know. I'm nearly eighteen, it's hard to imagine thinking of anyone else as a parent when I barely need one anymore."

"Well, let me know how family bonding goes," he said as she began walking out of the shop.

When she got home, Diana had prepared a feast for lunch and Ian and Lana were debating whether golf really counted as a sport. Athena stood in the entryway to the kitchen, just smiling. They looked like a family, and she didn't feel completely on the outside of it.

"You seriously have a dojo?" Brooke drawled as she and Athena stalked into a building in workout gear. Brooke had on a trendy outfit, her sports bra and long yoga pants with matching paint splatter designs on them.

Athena wore a simply black sports bra and some tattered soccer shorts, "It's not a dojo, it's a gym. We may have survived on luck and numbers against Piper, but that won't help us forever."

"What, you think there's gonna be another murder spree?" Brooke droned, knowing that Athena and Noah prescribed to the idea that Piper had an accomplice.

"I believe in being prepared, something my father taught me," she answered in clipped tones, grabbing some tape from her gym bag and started wrapping it around her knuckles.

"Your father the criminal?" Brooke asked, looking around the dingy gym with distaste.

Athena rolled her eyes, "He may be what he is, but he was very good at fighting and taught me everything he knows. That's why I survived. Piper wanted to kill me, and she failed. When I wanted to kill her, I didn't fail. That should tell you that my knowledge is useful."

Brooke reluctantly nodded, pursing her lips, "Fine, you're right. Show me some moves."

They had been sparring for fifteen minutes, Athena slowly instructing Brooke on common self defense moves first and foremost, when they heard some whistling. They turned and nearly groaned when they saw Jake and Will walking into the gym. Jake looked positively affronted, "I am so offended. Here's a cat fight, and no one invited the Jake."

Brooke rolled her eyes, "Shut up, Jake."

The boy smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist, "Touchy, touchy. You girls working up a sweat?"

"I'm just teaching her how to defend herself," Athena muttered, checking the tape on her knuckles. "We should all learn."

"A bit paranoid?" Will asked, standing by her side. "I mean, it's been weeks."

"I'm not one to get complacent," she shrugged. "And it helps to keep up my own skills. Keep practicing, training, to not get soft."

"I don't think anything about you is soft," Jake smirked, earning a smack on the chest from Brooke.

"How was your interview?" Athena asked to change the subject.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Noah's podcast has a sudden jump in viewership after he uploads the Jake," he bragged.

"Dude, it's a podcast," Will told him, again, "people aren't going to see anything. They're listeners."

Jake shrugged, "Whatever."

"If you boys don't mind, we need to get back to it," Athena hinted, itching to get back to training and helping Brooke.

Jake extracted himself from Brooke, "Fine. Will and the Jake will be building bulk."

"Have fun," she nodded to Will as he walked off after Jake, not noticing Brooke's eyes trained on her in suspicion.

Athena was slowly stalking through the bushes at the docks, watching Piper leaning over a crying Emma with a knife. Her heart beating in her chest like a drum circle as she finally broke out of the cover with her gun.

Piper was cackling, "But Emma, I have one more surprise for you before I open you up. And you'll never see it coming..."

"Piper!" Athena yelled, the name echoing in the night air.

Piper turned around, seeming only slightly shocked but still smugly grinning, "Daddy's little girl."

Athena didn't hesitate before aiming and pulling the trigger. The gunshot echoed in the stale air as Piper fell to the ground with a bullet in her forehead. Athena just stood at the front of the dock, numbly staring at Piper's body. It was over. It was actually over.

Athena gasped as she rolled over in bed and woke up. She wiped her slightly sweaty hair back from her face and sighed into her pillow. She was tired, exhausted really, of this damn dream. She'd been reliving the same moment – killing Piper – nearly every night since the actual thing. Then she'd wake up early in the morning, before the sun even came up, and would not be able to get back to sleep.

For a while, she would use the time drawing or other artistic things. But her hands would still be shaking for hours after the nightmare and she couldn't get a good piece out of the time. Then she spent more time researching and putting together her own obsession board, but it got out of hand when she converted it into a board that folded out into panels. She needed something else.

Then she found out that the gym she and Brooke went to opened at 5:30 AM. So, when she was shaken awake by the memory of shooting a human being in the forehead, she put on her work out clothes and drove over to the dojo – in Brooke's words. She found it was really a good way to work out her frustrations and jitters until she no longer saw Piper's face on the punching bag.

She would be there for a couple hours, doing various work outs with little breaks, and then shower and change to go to school. When she didn't have school – on the weekends – she would be there for three hours. It was almost as tiring as not getting the sleep she wanted but it was better than not feeling productive.

Knowing she definitely wasn't getting back to sleep, she dragged herself out of bed and headed into her bathroom. As she prepared her toothbrush with some toothpaste, she looked up into the mirror and took in a sharp breath when she saw Piper's dripping wet and bloody face in her reflection. She quickly clenched her eyes shut and took a deep breath, her fists pushing into the counter. When she opened her eyes again, she saw her own tired self in the mirror. She let out a sigh, "No, I'm not crazy," and finished getting ready to head to the gym and beat up and hanging sandbag. On this Saturday, she was way more frustrated than ever. And she had the bruised knuckles to prove it.

"Athena?"

She was startled, missing the major point in her punch, causing her fist to spasm in pain. She flinched, clenching it to her chest, "Jesus Christ!"

Will flinched for her, "Oh, crap, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to distract you. I just don't usually see anyone I know here. Wanted to say hi."

Athena held back her cursing and shook out her hand, "I don't think it's broken. So, there's that. Hi."

He chuckled, "Hi. Do you come here a lot? It's pretty early."

"Um, you're here too, Pretty boy," she pointed out with humor. "It's only seven."

"On a Saturday morning," he added. "I come here to keep up with training off season."

"I come here because I can't sleep," she quipped before she could think better of it.

She regretted it when she saw the concern on Will's face. "Um, why can't you sleep?"

She rolled her eyes, "It's nothing. I've haven't seen you here since I took Brooke. I've been coming here regularly for about a week now."

He accepted her changing the subject, "On school days, I go to the gym at school. The janitorial staff opens it up for athletes, but anyone can go in there. On weekends, I come here."

"The school's gym is open in the morning?" she asked. "I've been coming here way early."

"Well, why don't you join me at the school gym in the mornings?" he suggested. "Jake is so wrapped up in Brooke that I don't have a gym buddy anymore."

"I know what you mean," she said. "Brooke isn't as into this routine as I am."

"So, you in?" he asked.

"I'm in," she grinned.

After they were done with their work outs for the day, they walked out together. He walked out to her car with her and asked, "So, are you going to tell me what's keeping you up in the mornings and bringing you here?"

She sighed, knowing it'd be best to just tell him, "I... have been having nightmares, about that night. And when I wake up, I can't get back to sleep. That's just how I am. So, I come here. That's it."

"Athena, we all went through Hell, barely even a month ago," Will pointed out. "Having nightmares is normal after all of that."

"Well, how about you?" she responded a bit defensively, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Every night," he answered without missing a beat. "I relive being kidnapped and stabbed. I have nightmares about what could have happened at the barn if you hadn't been there. And I wake up screaming and wake up my parents. But, I also see the school counselor, and she's really helped me out. Maybe you should-"

"No," she immediately cut him off. "I'm not going to a shrink."

"Okay, that's fine too," he backed off.

She shuffled on her feet for a bit, lowering her hands to her sides, "You really have nightmares?"

He nodded, "Yeah, I do. So, if you don't want to talk to a shrink, you can talk to me."

"Let's just stick with gym buddies, Pretty boy," she retorted.

Athena was once again at her computer. She was staring at the most recent article about Alonzo Contos. He had finally accepted an interview a few months ago, by none other than Piper Shaw. The article hadn't been published for obvious reasons, until someone anonymously posted it online. The internet was a buzz about the whole thing.

Athena could feel the admiration in Piper's tone as she wrote the article. It was obvious she looked up to Alonzo for some reason. It really got her thinking, again, about Piper's last words and what she meant about the father who raised her.

As it was, his only charge was felony kidnapping and social security fraud. Not mass murder like Piper. As far as Athena knew, Alonzo hadn't killed anyone. But what did she really know about him? Or Gretchen? For all she knew, they both could have killed anyone who got in their way. That might be what Piper meant.

Reading the article, Alonzo talked about how desperate he and his wife were for a child to love as their own and cherish and raise. Eventually, Piper asked Alonzo if he had any regrets. Knowing the man she grew up with, he would usually say that life was too short for regrets and there was no point to do anything other than move on with your life.

But surprisingly, in the article, Alonzo did say he had one regret. That his daughter – his words, not anybody else's – was hurt when everything came out. He talked about his darling Athena, that was hurt when the truth was revealed and that she must feel as if she wasn't who she thought she was because her parents weren't who they thought they were.

"I know she must feel so lost, as if she were a stranger to herself. I know our actions hurt her, though we never meant for them to. My daughter is my whole life, my whole reason for being. I'm her father, it is my job to protect her. And I failed. That is my one regret in my entire life. But, I will always be her father. I will always be here for her when she is ready to return to who she really is. My daughter. That I love more than anything in this entire world. I will always protect her, love her and cherish her as only a father can. And I can only hope that one day she will understand and forgive her parents for what we had to do."

Athena felt anger boiling up in her blood at the audacity of this man. He wasn't her father. She wasn't his daughter. She knew who she was, she wasn't lost without him. But her anger didn't quite reach her fingers, since they clicked and chose to print the article. Her printer roared to life again, printing out the whole article. She pulled out the still hot paper and bit off her green highlighter cap to highlight what he said about her. Clipping it out, she walked over and tacked it onto her obsession board.

She sighed through her nose just as there was a knock on the door. "Yeah, come in," she called as she closed her closet.

She was ever so shocked to see none other than Sam poke his head into the door. She gasped, "Sam – what are you doing here?"

"Just in town... visiting my mom, thought I'd stop in," he replied, a bit sheepishly.

She just gave him a smile and jogged over to hug him tightly. He sagged in relief and hugged her back, even tighter. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," he said as they pulled away. "How have things been? Since everything?"

"As expected, I think," she shrugged. "How long are you in town for?"

"Unfortunately, just a couple days," he muttered. "I'm signing up for classes at a community college. It helps get police academy's notice and want to hire you if you're getting college credit towards at least an associates degree."

"Why don't we go out and continue this whole catching up thing?" Athena suggested. "Coffee?"

"Of course," he smiled easily, taking her arm and leading her downstairs.

She stopped to grab her purse and poked her head into the kitchen, "Hey Diana, Sam and I are getting coffee. See you later."

"Have fun you two," Diana called after them as they left the house.

"You got a car?" Athena asked when she saw the Sudan in her driveway.

He grinned, "Yeah, I needed it. It'll help with other visits too."

"Planning on visiting a lot?" she teased him as they got into the car.

He looked away, starting to car, "Maybe. When I can."

They made idle chit chat for the ride over to the coffee shop. He held the door open for her and paid for her drink and they found a table just outside, since it was a nice day for November. He brought them back to a real subject, "So, how have you really been doing, Athena?"

She sighed, knowing she couldn't hide the reality from him, "I've been fine considering. I've had trouble sleeping, and just trying to move on. But I gotta keep trying, right?"

"Right," he agreed. "We all do."

She fidgeted with her hands, "I realize this affected you too..."

"Not as much as any of you guys," he immediately waved off her concern. "I got one night of it and came out unscathed. The rest of you – it was way worse."

"Any run in with that freak was bad," she growled. "I'm glad she's dead."

"Aren't we all?" he asked just as someone called her name.

They both looked over, seeing Will and Jake sauntering over. Jake was oblivious to the situation and grabbed a chair, turning it over to straddle it and sit with them. Will reluctantly took a seat with Jake, greeting Sam quietly, "Hey, man, sorry about him."

"Don't worry about it," Sam welcomed them. "Athena and I were just catching up."

Jake gestured at him, "Weren't you kidnapped too?"

Athena reached over and slapped his head, "Don't you have a drink to go order, dumbass?"

Will took the hint for them both and pulled Jake up by his shirt, gently pushing him toward the door. He awkwardly looked back at them, "Sorry about him. I'll get him a leash."

"You do that," Athena waved at him as he walked into the coffee shop.

"Wasn't that Will, Emma's ex, I think?" Sam asked after the boys left.

She nodded quickly, "Yeah, that's him. Emma left to this therapy retreat. Will's been less of a jackass in light of recent events. Jake – not so much, but he's trying. He's with Brooke now. And she's become a better person all around."

"That's good, it's good that people have changed for the better," Sam responded.

"You have," she mentioned. "I think it's great that you're going to college and applying to the police academy. It's wonderful that you're finally doing what you want to do with your life."

"I'm glad you feel that way, honestly," he replied nervously. "Ever since I made the choice, I just felt like I was abandoning you when you needed – someone."

"It's fine, I'm fine," she assured him, taking a gulp of her coffee. Part of her was lying though. She had felt that he conveniently walked out of her life at the time she most needed him. He was the only person she could talk to. And to pile on, Emma left too. The only person on that dock that experienced what she did. And then there was no one left for her to talk to. But now, she and Will were going to the gym and talking before school. She felt just a fraction better for the school days now. "You're allowed to follow your dreams. I want you to. Really."

"I still want to be there for you," he murmured. He slowly reached across the table top and held his hand into hers.

She froze, not expecting the physical contact. She felt utterly conflicted inside. She had had feelings for Sam, and it could have been really great between them. But things happened, and Sam left, and that was that. She was determined not to confuse the friendship they had now. She couldn't. But she found herself enjoying the contact, enjoying the memories of the brief time they had together, and it was really brief and cut abruptly short. But maybe it was okay to enjoy the time she had with him now. So, she held his hand back.

Neither Sam, nor Athena, saw Will and Jake exiting the coffee shop down from them. Neither saw Will look over at them to call out a farewell as he and his friend left. Neither noticed his words die in his throat, and his half-waving hand fall back down to his side, or his face fall as his eyes zeroed in on their clasped hands.

Jake tapped his chest when he noticed Will wasn't following him, "Hey, man, you coming?"

Will dragged his eyes away from them and nodded to Jake, "Yeah, yeah, sure, I'm coming."

Athena was quiet as Sam parked his car in front of her house. He was leaving, going back to school full time, over time really, and wouldn't have a lot of time to visit. But he swore that they would keep in touch regularly, as he was with Ian anyway.

"So, I guess I'll see you when I see you," Athena tried to sound casual as he walked her to her front door.

"I'll be back, Athena," he promised, brushing some hair behind her ear. "I still have to introduce you to my mom."

"And get me stuffed with cookies," she chuckled, remembering that conversation with him. "We'll put a pin in that for your next visit, I guess."

"Yeah," he nodded. He was shuffling on his feet, neither of them making a move to leave their spots, being held there awkwardly by something missing between them. Then, before he could think better of his actions, he leaned down and kissed her.

Athena, again, froze up under the affection. But only for a moment, and then she started kissing him back. He cupped her face, wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her close. And she accepted his embrace. With gasps for air, they pulled away from each other.

Sam sighed, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. I didn't come here to mess with your feelings."

"No, it's okay," she breathed automatically, and then cringed, because it wasn't. "I mean, no it isn't. We do need to keep to our boundaries. Or else we'll never be able to remain friends."

"I know, I know," he agreed. "I know. It's just... weird, it wasn't long ago that we were..."

"I know what you mean," she finished for him. "But we have to try. I mean, what's the alternative?"

"Nothing I like," he backed off, putting his hands in his jacket pockets. "Let's just forget this, okay?"

"Okay," she nodded. "Um, have a safe trip back. I hope you get a police academy to hire you. They'd be pretty dumb not to. It's you."

He chuckled along with her and leaned down to hug her. It was a bittersweet hug, a hug goodbye to someone special, for reasons that she couldn't fault him for. She just wanted him to have what he wanted. And they had to say goodbye for that. Watching him drive away from her front door, she felt a mixture of content and melancholy. She would be happy for him, and find a way to move on from everything that had happened to her, and him.

"Friends giving?" Athena questioned as she got the books she needed from her locker.

"Yeah, Brooke's idea," Audrey answered, walking with her to class. "It's actually the day before Thanksgiving, for obvious reasons. It's gonna be like a big potluck, we all bring something. We just have to commit to what we're bringing – sides, entree, meat, desert."

"I can't actually cook," Athena admitted slowly. "What am I supposed to bring?"

Audrey shrugged, "Beats me. I'm bringing canned cranberries. Noah's mom is making a ham for him to bring. I don't know about the others."

"Maybe I'll just ask Diana to get something extra at the store," she suggested to herself as they walked into their math class. She slowed her walk when she noticed a new guy sitting in the back row. He caught eyes with her and didn't even blink as she walked to her own seat.

"Notice the new meat?" Brooke's voice sounded from the seat next to her. She leaned closer and whispered, "My sources say he's the new Sheriff's son. Hasn't talked to anyone yet. Name's Gustavo Acosta."

"Your sources?" Audrey repeated in dubious humor.

Brooke narrowed her eyes playfully before speaking again, "Anyway, he's quite mysterious. And it looks like he has an interest in our little group. I caught him staring at me and Jake this morning."

"Maybe he just thinks you're hot," Athena teased.

Brooke rolled her eyes, "Whatever, did Audrey tell you about our Thanksgiving plans?"

"Friendsgiving, yeah," she nodded. "I'll think of something to bring."

Brooke grinned, "Perfect."

Athena balanced the bowl of deviled eggs in one arm, using the other to knock on the Maddox double doors. The Mayor himself opened it up, smiling cordially, "Miss Tyler, hello. Brooke and the others are in the backyard. I'm sure you know where it is."

She nodded, "Right, yeah. Thanks."

"Let me know if there's anything you need in the kitchen, it's a bit confusing," he said as they walked to the back door passed said kitchen.

"No need," she said awkwardly, holding her platter of prepared food. "It's all done."

"Good, good," he opened the sliding glass door for her. "You kids have fun."

"Thanks, daddy," Brooke smiled sweetly, her heels clicking on the ground as she walked over to hug Athena around her bowl. "Deviled eggs!"

"Just me pushing my vegetarian agenda onto you all," she quipped, setting the platter onto the glass table Brooke set up in the midst of outdoor couches she had.

"Perfect," Will commented when he saw the food, swiping one of the eggs and taking a bite. "These are good. Did you make these?"

"Actually, I did," she grinned. "Diana taught me."

"They look good," Noah commented. "I just brought ham."

"It looks good," Athena shrugged. "Sorry, I can't partake."

Kieran was there too, having been invited by Brooke, "That's everyone. Let's eat."

She took a seat towards one end of the table, between Will and Audrey. Brooke was sitting at the other end between Jake and Noah, "All the red cups have white wine in them. All the blue ones have water. Take your pick."

Athena immediately swiped one of the red cups in front of her and took a big gulp.

"Whoa," Will laughed, taking the cup from her and setting it on the table, "slow down, killer. Get some food in you first."

"I have a high tolerance," she winked at him. "I did my rebellious thing. Let's just eat."

They ate, laughed, were merry friends in the aftermath of the worst horrors they lived through. They discussed school, college plans, summer plans, anything and everything that came up. Brooke looked to Athena, "Where are you going to college?"

She shrugged, "I haven't thought about it too much since everything happened. I guess I'll apply around, art schools and such. See what happens."

"What about you, Will?" she asked. "Excited for Duke? I heard they let you in."

Will chuckled, leaning his elbows on the table, "I actually pushed my acceptance a year."

"What?" Noah asked. "I thought you were leaving us for greener pastures."

He shrugged, "Yeah, and I'll still be going there, but we are all barely making it to High School graduation. I'd like to take some time before jumping into college."

"So, you're sticking around Lakeview then?" Athena asked, looking over at him.

"I don't know yet. I'm trying not to plan it all out," he answered.

Slowly, she nodded, and took another sip of her wine, enjoying Friendsgiving.

DECEMBER

Athena was home alone, content to sip hot chocolate and watch Scrubs reruns for the afternoon. Ian was finally going back to school, so Diana and Till had gone to help him finish settling into his apartment. Athena found it silly, since he'd already been there for a few weeks, but she didn't say anything. She opted to stay home and finish her winter break work before the new semester started up, and Lana's break didn't coincide with their trip, so she was in school.

Then her doorbell rang. Athena sighed, her cozy silence shattered, and stood to open the door. She saw Brooke and Audrey there, grinning like loons. "Oh, god. What?"

"We are in need of girl bonding time," Brooke grinned. "And I am calling for makeovers, spa treatments and relaxation."

"I don't have the money to throw at a spa," Athena droned.

"It's on Mayor Maddox' credit card," Audrey smirked.

She sighed, "Fine, then I'm in."

She found herself being shoved into a salon chair, Brooke and Audrey on either side with the hairdresser behind her. She warily eyed them in the mirror, "Am I gonna like this new look you've picked out for me?"

Brooke laid a manicured hand on her shoulder, "Don't you trust me?"

She turned her eyes to Audrey, "Well?"

"Blondie has good taste," she answered.

"Okay," she sighed. "Go ahead."

It took a long time and she had still not been allowed to see her new hair. All she knew was that they cut off a fair length and colored it somehow. Next thing was, the girls going to the spa in the same building. They got facials, some kind of mud baths he didn't understand, and finally massages. Then Brooke took them all back to the salon to get their faces made over and hair finished. She was throwing a party and her friends needed to look their best, and better than anybody else.

"Can I see what I look like now?" she asked.

Brooke laughed, her smokey eye shadow bringing out the mysterious look she was going for. Her hair remained perfectly straight passed her shoulders. "Fine, turn around."

Athena swiveled around and gasped at her new look. Her hair had been cut just around her chin in choppy layers that curled at the ends, with some red highlights breaking up the dark brown color. Her eyes had been donned with dark brown eye shadow and her lips with a dark red stain. "Wow..."

"I know, right?" Brooke grinned, pleased with herself. "Now, we head to my house to get dressed."

Brooke had lent Athena a burgundy tight dress with a gap at the side of her thigh with strips of fabric holding the dress together across. Brooke forced some heels onto her feet, "And I have the perfect necklace. You'll look like an elegant vampire."

"A girl's dream," Athena quipped.

"Here," the blonde laughed, stringing an ornate black gem necklace onto her. "You're ready to impress."

"Who am I impressing?" she asked with a grin.

Brooke smirked, "You never know."

Athena felt a little awkward at Brooke's party, not used to getting all dolled up. Brooke was supposed to stay with her and help her with the mingling with strangers part of this party, but she went straight into hostess mode and started mingling herself. Audrey and Noah, luckily, were just as inept as she was at popular peoples' parties and stuck with her.

Noah gaped a little like a fish when he saw her, "Athena! Um, wow! You look great."

Athena hid her blush with a devious smirk, "Thanks, Noah."

"I don't think I've ever seen you so dressed up," Audrey commented as they found seats on the outdoor couches by the pool.

She shrugged, "I don't usually go all out like this. But you know Brooke, she kinda insisted."

"Brooke has a way of getting what she wants," Noah agreed. "Can I get you lovely ladies some drinks?"

"Yes," Athena immediately jumped on his offer. "Something colorful."

"Right away," he chuckled, walking off to one of the many coolers encasing the alcoholic beverages.

Athena crossed her ankles to keep any undesirable characters from getting a peak at her underwear and then noticed Jake waltzing over with Brooke smiling under his arm. He smirked his the-Jake-smirk at her and Audrey, "Ladies, looking fine this hoppin' night. Not as fine as my lady, but still pretty."

Audrey chuckled, "Your lady? Cat outta the bag?"

Brooke narrowed her eyes, "You're so funny. Are you guys having fun? You're supposed to be having fun."

"Noah's getting drinks, so soon we will be," Athena told her.

"Have you seen Will yet?" Brooke asked, tilting her head to the side.

Athena shook her head, "No, not yet."

"Doubt he could miss you in that dress," Jake smirked, loping away with Brooke.

As they left, Noah swept over with a couple drinks in hand and Will walking up behind him, "Look who I found."

"Hey Pretty Boy," Athena grinned as she accepted the margarita glass from Noah.

"Hey..." he looked over at her and his words died in his mouth as he fully took in her attire, "...wow."

She took a big sip of the drink Noah had gotten her and hummed in approval, "Nice drink fetching, Noah. This is good."

"Ditto," Audrey murmured. "Did you get yourself a manly beer?"

"No, the beer is mine," Will recovered from his earlier faux pa and handed the tall glass filled with fruit to Noah while he handed his own beer.

Noah shrugged off Audrey's laugh, "What? It tastes amazing."

"Alcohol is alcohol," Athena shrugged as the boys took seats across from her and Audrey. The teens were chatting and drinking for a while until the music's volume suddenly went up a bit and Brooke swaggered over, leaning into Athena.

"You need to dance with me," Brooke grinned, grabbing her hand and pulled her on her feet without waiting for a verbal agreement.

Athena just laughed and followed Brooke into the crowd, swaying and shuffling to the upbeat tunes around them, feeling just a little bit more relaxed than she'd been able to be since everything happened. Brooke hugged her close as they danced, but not in an overtly sexual let's-give-the-guys-a-show way, in a we're-getting-to-be-good-friends-now way. In a fun way. Laughing, moving, feeling.

Eventually, Jake tripped over to steal Brooke away for his own more sexually charged dance and Athena walked back over to the seats to get back to her drink. When she got there, only Will was still sitting. He said Noah and Audrey went to get go more drinks for themselves. So, she just took the seat next to him and fanned herself off – dancing in the throng of a bunch of other teenagers had made her a bit heated.

"So, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about," Will began, "I've actually been putting it off."

"What is it?" Athena asked him curiously.

He seemed embarrassed, "My mom had been bugging me to invite you over for dinner with them – like out to dinner as a thanks, for saving my life over and over again. She's been reminding me, like everyday now. Um, so, this is me, extending that invitation."

Athena thought his bumbling invitation and explanation was amusing. "It's not gonna be a barbecue, is it? Like, I'm not gonna meet my dinner beforehand?"

He laughed, shaking his head, "No, no, she will make you vegetarian friendly food. Does that mean you'll come?"

She shrugged, "Sure, I'll scam a free meal off of you. Just please, I don't want some saint treatment just for getting lucky a few times. Just a lowkey dinner."

"I can't promise anything on my mother's behalf," Will awkwardly said, scratching the back of his neck with his hand. "But I'm sure my dad and I can treat you like a normal human girl."

"Sounds like a plan then, Pretty Boy."

"So, you're going to a dinner in your honor at a farm?" Abigail snorted at the thought over coffee the next morning.

Athena rolled her eyes, "Yeah, I guess so. It's just a thank you dinner, and he says his mom's been bugging him about it for weeks now. So, I might at well get it over with. It's gonna be so awkward though, right?"

Abigail shrugged and shook her head thoughtfully, "It doesn't have to be. You're friends with Will, right? So, just think of it as having dinner at a friends house, like you would with Audrey or Noah."

"I guess that makes sense," Athena admitted. "It's just that word – hero. It puts so much pressure on me to be this saintly character when I meet them. I mean, they're probably expecting this pristine, good girl, like – like Emma. I'm gonna fall off the pedestal when they see me, who I really am."

"Honey, you are a great girl, just how you are," her Aunt reached over and took her hand. "You do not have to pretend to be something you aren't to fit what you think they expect from you. You are a good girl, and a hero in your own right. That came from who you really are, not some Hercules complex."

There was a ding to Athena's phone so she pulled it out, barely hiding her shocked reaction to the Unknown number message.

"Athena?" she heard her Aunt ask in concern. "What is it?"

Are you relieved that it's finally over, killer? Don't get too comfy, lying to the world about being a hero. You're nothing but a murderer.

"It's nothing," she lied, quickly putting her phone away before anyone could see the message. She'd delete it when she got in her car, and ignore it. It was just a prank. Or, at least, that's what she told herself.

Athena laughed at the face Brooke was making to mock her dad's campaign antics as the blonde painted her toe nails a deep navy blue color. "I swear, everything is a photo op and every conversation is a speech."

"Why don't you just tell him you're not a campaign prop?" Athena suggested. "And in that spirit, why don't you tell him that you're dating Jake?"

"Jake is literally my dad's least favorite person in the world, next to Will," Brooke scowled.

"So? Your dad has no right to make you feel ashamed for who you fall for," Athena pointed out. "I mean, your dad was the one getting rid of a body on tape. It's not like he's a saint."

"True, it's just..." she sighed. "It's just not a fight I want to rush into having. Jake has been bugging me about telling him too. And that he has some plan to make my dad like him."

"It's probably important to him not to feel like a secret," Athena said. "And Jake always has a scheme in play somehow. You both have changed so much since everything happened, Brooke and Jake 2.0 and all that."

"I'm just not ready yet," Brooke whined, putting her bottle of nail polish away. "Are you ready for your hero's dinner at the Bellmont's farm? Please tell me if they have hay stacks instead of chairs."

Athena laughed, "It's just dinner, it's not a big deal. And I'm sure they have real chairs."

"Will never had any of us over to his place except Emma when they were dating," Brooke said. "Jake has showed up unannounced to pick him up or pick a fight plenty of times, but... I think Will has always been a little embarrassed that he doesn't have the kind of family money some of us have. It's impressive that he's comfortable enough with you to invite you over."

"Well, we're getting to be good friends now," Athena shrugged. "He's my gym buddy since you ditched me. And there's the whole savior-saved complex that Lakeview has shoved us into. We all only have each other to relate to after everything we've been through."

"I think it's great, really," Brooke said. "Will has also been trying to be a better version of himself. He's had these raging anger issues for years, jealousy issues too. We know he's been going to Miss Lang, it's good for him. And I think your blunt, call you out for your shit, behavior will be good for him too. You won't let him get away with regressing into an asshole."

Athena laughed, "I guess I wouldn't."

"Okay, you need to get dressed for dinner," Brooke cheered, getting up and heading to her closet. "You can borrow a dress of mine. Nothing too fancy, because you're going to a farm." She pulled out a plaid style dress and tossed it at her. "And don't let grumpy Mr. Bellmont get to you. That guy has no friendly bone in his body. But Will's mom is great."

"I'll also try not to go on a righteous rant," Athena quipped, knowing herself.

Brooke pointed at her with a smirk, "Good plan. But above all, have fun."

Athena nervously and awkwardly ran her hands through her curls a few times just after she killed the engine of her car outside the Bellmont barn. She parked around the same place she and Emma had parked last time they were here, so she could see the barn where Will had been set up to die just off to her right. She froze.

The girls came to a halt when they got through the barn, seeing Will tied up to a chair with tape on his mouth, struggling against his bound hands. There was a large machine behind him, with sharp blades rotating just above his head.

She shook her head free of those thoughts and grabbed the pastries Diana got from the store, insisting that she had to bring something to the dinner to be polite. She walked up to the front door of the house just next to the barn and knocked on the door. She heard someone call out that they'd get the door and some heavy footsteps and then Will was pulling the door open, dressed in a regular long sleeve t-shirt and jeans, "Hey, glad you found the place."

"Hard to forget," she said as he let her in.

"Is that her!?" she heard an excited woman's voice as heels clicked closer to them and a blonde woman appeared in the hallway. "Athena?"

"Yeah, that's me," Athena extended her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Belmont."

The woman swatted her hand away and gathered her in her arms, "Oh, it's Adaline to you, darling. It's so nice to finally meet you. I'm sure Will has told you how often I've been bothering him to invite you over."

Athena laughed, "Just a little bit. I, um, brought these..." she held up the pastries and handed them over. "To contribute."

"That's so nice of you," Adaline cooed, taking the pastries from her. "They look delicious, thank you. Dinner is almost ready, I'm just tossing the salad."

"Can I help?" Athena offered, wanting to seem helpful. Like a good normal house guest.

"Thank you for offering, but I'm nearly finished," Adaline said. "Come on and settle in. You still need to meet my husband."

She and Will lead Athena down the hall into a dining room that could look into the kitchen. Athena saw a large, slightly gray man wiping his dirty hands with a rag at the kitchen sink. Adaline lead her into the kitchen and put the pastries on the tile counter, "Athena, this is my husband, Carl. Sweetie, this is Athena."

"Hello," he spoke gruffly, shaking her hand in an iron clad grip. "So, you're the girl my wife has been raving on about."

"I guess so," she replied awkwardly flexing her hand when she got it back.

"Well, table is already set," Adaline cut in. "Go on and sit down. I'll be right out with the salad."

"Come on," Will gently guided her by her elbow to a seat at the table, taking the seat across from her. Carl took a seat at the head of the table and when Adaline flitted in with a big bowl of salad and took the seat across from her husband.

"So, Athena, this is Caesar salad, and Will tells me your vegetarian so I made cheese and spinach tortellini with some garlic bread. I hope that's okay," Adaline listed off like the gracious hostess she was.

"It looks amazing, Adaline," Athena complimented. "Other than the vegetarian thing, I'm really not hard to please with food."

"I'm glad, go ahead and dig in," the older woman smiled.

Carl had already starting chewing on the garlic bread and piling pasta onto his plate. Will handed off the serving spoon to Athena first, who doled out a couple scoops before getting some salad.

"Oh, dear, I forgot drinks," Adaline frowned, standing up. "Athena, what would you like?"

"Water would be great," Athena answered, knowing this woman wasn't the type to be told no.

"Grab me a beer," Carl grunted, still eating.

"All right," she smiled and went into the kitchen. "Will, come help."

"Sure," the teen replied, getting up. The two came back with a couple soda, a beer and glass of water, getting back into dinner.

"So, Athena, Will tells me you moved here from Portland," Adaline made conversation. "That's quite a big move for a teenager in the Foster system."

"It was a unique situation," Athena vaguely explained as Will gave her a quick look. She knew he didn't tell them about the truth of her situation. And she was glad.

"Do you miss Portland?" the woman asked, unaware of the looks between her and Will.

She shrugged, "A little bit. Other than the obvious, Lakewood isn't that bad, or that different. And I've been getting along with the Tylers."

"I've only met Diana through Maggie a couple times, she seems nice," Adaline said. "I think those two have been best friends since eighth grade."

"That sounds right."

"What are your plans for college?" Adaline asked curiously.

"Actually, I've been looking into various art schools in the area," Athena admitted a bit shyly.

"She's actually really talented," Will finally spoke up. His comment earned him a confused look from Athena so he added, "You've left your sketchbook open a few times in class. I wasn't snooping."

"Oh, um, thanks," she blushed a little. "Yeah, it's just something I've always done and I figured I should make use of it."

"That sounds very nice," Adaline commented.

"What kind of career are you hoping to get out of drawing?" Carl finally pitched into the conversation, his voice still deep and gruff.

"Dad," Will chided.

"No, it's fine," Athena didn't want a fight or conflict tonight. "There are actually a lot of avenues, career wise, for artists other than depending on selling paintings. There's animation in the entertainment industry, there's graphic design work, portraits, stuff like that. There are a lot of opportunities to get ahead too. I'm actually applying to this summer art workshop they have at CalArts. That was my top school when I was living in Portland."

"That's in California?" Carl guessed. "You think you can get in?"

"Dad, seriously," Will complained. "She's really talented, of course she can get in."

"Moving on," Adaline jumped back in, sensing the tension. "Athena, other than art, what do you like to do in your spare time?"

"Well, some of us go to the theater often because Audrey works there," Athens spoke around mouthfuls of her food. "Brooke and I hang out at her house sometimes. But on my own, I mostly just draw or read or keep in touch with some of my friends in Portland. I'm not all that interesting."

"Nonsense," Adaline guffawed. "I have been looking forward to thanking you in person for a long time now. I just..." she trailed off, tears building in her eyes. "I just can not imagine what would have happened in you hadn't come over with Emma that day. I can't stand the thought of anything like that happening to my son. We will always be grateful to you for the fact that we didn't lost him."

Athena felt a little uncomfortable under such praise, "Honestly, Adaline, you really don't have to thank me. I just got lucky, right place, right time kind of thing."

"Still, we've heard of your skills in self-defense," Adaline said. "You're a smart girl, very capable and that's what helped you help our son."

Carl snorted into his beer, earning a chastising look from his wife. He put his drink down, "Come on, she shot someone point blank in the face."

"A serial killer," Will pointed out heatedly. "The same serial killer that kidnapped me, stabbed me and then rigged me up to get cut in half."

"Where'd you learn to shoot like that?" Carl asked, glowering over at Athena.

"My, um, foster dad was really into me learning how to defend myself," she explained as much as she could. "That included self-defense classes, weapons training, stuff like that. It's brutal but it paid off."

"Yeah, it allowed you to kill someone," he quipped, taking a large bite of his bread.

"Yeah, it did," Athena was saying, trying to remain calm. "Someone standing over Emma with a knife."

Carl scoffed, and Will had pretty much snapped.

"Yeah, well, where were you!?" he shouted, standing up and slamming his hands on the wooden table. "I got kidnapped, tortured and nearly sliced up in our own backyard! And guess who was there to save me! Not you, my dad, but her!" he gestured wildly at her. "She saved my life!"

"You do not speak to me like that in my house, Will!" Carl bellowed back, standing up large and in charge.

"You're treating her like she's some kind of criminal!" Will yelled. "But she's the one who saved me when a killer got to me right under your nose!"

Athena saw Will's fists clenching so tightly that his knuckles were going white. She stood up, wiping at her mouth with her napkin and calling over their shouting, "Will, walk me to my car?"

Both men quieted, Carl not looking away until Will looked over at her. She fiddled with her hands and smiled as politely as she could to his mother, "Adaline, this dinner was great. It's getting late, I should head home before Diana starts to worry. Goodnight."

Adaline followed after her and Will to the front door, "I am so sorry about my husband, Athena. He's always been set in his ways. I can't say much to excuse his actions. He was incredibly rude."

"It's fine," Athena sighed. "It's nothing I haven't heard already."

"I don't want you to listen to any of that," Adaline replied sternly, hugging the girl. "You are a brave, brave girl and my son is alive because of you. That's all."

"Thank you for saying that," Athena said as they pulled away. "It really was a good dinner, you're a good cook."

"That's sweet of you to say," Adaline smiled. "And I hope Carl didn't scare you off completely. I'd love it if you stopped by every once in a while. You're a good girl."

"Thanks, maybe," Athena offered, shrugged as she fished her car keys from her pocket.

"I'll walk you out," Will helped her escape from his mother's embarrassed smothering. The night air chilled them both to the bone as they walked out to her car.

Athena looked over and saw that his fists were still clenched tightly and reached out to grab one, "Calm down, Will. It's not that bad."

"I can't believe he treated you like that," Will groaned. "I'm so sorry."

"It's not that big of a deal," Athena excused. "But I see now where you got your anger issues. I'd have a rage complex too if I had a dad like that."

Will snorted, "I guess I still need to work on my temper."

"When I get pissed off, I beat the shit out of the sand bag at the gym," Athena mused. "Channeling that anger into some physical actually helps. So, what do you say? Tomorrow at the gym?"

He slowly let a smile stretch out his cheeks as he nodded, "Sure thing."

"Farmer Belmont really said all that?" Audrey asked, actually cracking a grin from Brooke's bed.

Athena crossed her ankle over her knee at Brooke's vanity, "Sure did. Will blew up at him before I could say anything back though. I can definitely see where Will got his anger issues."

"Well unlike Old McDonald, Will is getting his shit together," Brooke added from the closet. She was tossing out clothes onto the bed that she was going to donate – another step in Brooke 2.0.

"I hope you didn't believe a word the old coot said," Audrey said.

Athena shrugged, not bothering to hide her frown, "It's what half the town is thinking when they see me anyway. But it's not like Will or you guys think that. So, who cares?"

"Exactly!" Brooke cheered, tossing a garmet into the other girl's lap. "Try this on, it would look great on you."

Athena gingerly stripped off her shirt to try on the red blouse with pursed lips, "I just hope I didn't make the family awkward around each other now just because I was there. Will and his dad barely got along as it was."

"I don't think they'll ever get along," Brooke said.

"And it's not your fault if they don't," Audrey added.

"I guess you're right," Athena sighed, twirling in front of the mirror to see how the blouse fit her.

"On another note, Emma's coming back," Audrey said.

Athena turned around sharply to face the girls, seeing that Brooke looked sheepish and Audrey looked like she was bracing herself for a reaction. "What?"

Now Audrey was sheepish, "Yeah. I talked to her mom. Brooke and I talked to Kieran about throwing her a big welcome back party."

Athena made sure to swallow so her voice didn't crack, "Sounds great. Um, I should make a cake or something. I'm sure Kieran could handle the alcohol. We having it at his place?"

Brooke and Audrey shared a look, both surprised at the congeniality of Athena's response. Audrey mumbled, "Yeah. A cake sounds nice."

"I'll handle decorating it," Brooke volunteered.

"Sounds good," Athena agreed, turning back tot he mirror and changing back into her own shirt. Emma was coming back to Lakewood. Perfect. Athena was mulling over what was about to change because of this when her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out and smothered a sharp intake of breath at the text coming in.

It's not over, killer. The final pieces are coming together and I've got a new game ready for you.

Quickly deleting the text, she put her phone away, and with it, all thoughts of this prankster and Emma and the trials that may be yet to come. What the Hell was coming for them?

And next we'll be onto the story! Check out the first trailer and let me know what you think of what you've read now. I'll try to update soon.

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