Chris: "Looking for your wife?"
Nathan: "You're funny. You're also done messing with Haley."
Chris: "We're just rehearsing, man."
Nathan: "No, you were rehearsing. That's over now."
Chris: "Why?.. Can't you trust her? I mean, isn't that what this is about? You love her.. you married her.. but can you trust her? 'Cause if you can, you got nothing to worry about right? Come on, man, I don't have a problem with you."
Nathan: "You see, you do have a problem with me; a big problem! You could smile and act cool if you want to but the fact is, man: I used to destroy guys like you. Daily. It'd be a shame if something happened to this hand; you couldn't play that little guitar anymore huh? Just like it'd be a shame if you were taking advantage of Haley."
Nathan: "Don't cry rock star.. ruin your make-up."

- One Tree Hill

Song: Kilometro - Sarah Geronimo

***

"Stop the car," Lexis says seated in the car. The driver pulls up.

He gets out and walks to a chair by the side and seats down.

"Alexander aren't we going to Nathan?" Maeve asks walking up to him.

"Why would I go to Satan?" He asks.

"He can pull all the fits he wants for all I care," Lexis says folding his hands across his legs and shutting his eyes.

Maeve stays silent leaving him to his thoughts. Standing at attention with her hands in her pant suit pocket.

"It makes no sense," Lexis suddenly says opening his eyes.

Maeve glances at him but stays silent.

"Do you think it makes sense that Hera was about to lose her daughter and never once called her so called husband who had sole custody for help?"

"Maybe she did? How else would he have known to come," Maeve replies.

Lexis shakes his head.

"It doesn't add up,"

"What doesn't?"

"Hera never once mentioned she was married to Jess. Jess was just as shocked as we were. Also, while I was without my memories, she always referenced a dead husband named Alexander never the rejected father candidate,"

"Why?" Maeve asks picking at his brain.

"Because she didn't want you to know?" She continues.

"I had no memories of my past what difference would that have made?" Lexis says.

"Maybe she was scared of you remembering and recalling her words thereby being hurt?"

"Why would she care if i'm hurt?"

"She once loved you?"

"She still does. She never once mentioned him or accepted him as the child's father because to her he could never be her father. Which explains her reaction to the child's words on having two fathers. Why she never allowed her to call him her father,"

"She rejected you too," Maeve says earning a glare from Lexis who leans back.

"She rejected the me who was without memories of us. The me who was being controlled and led by my father,"

"So you think they lied about the marriage?" Maeve asks.

Lexis stays silent in thought.

"No, I don't think the Judge would risk his reputation to lie for them but it still doesn't add up," He says shaking his head.

"Maybe they're going through problems?"

"Problems?" Lexis says and seats straight.

"Maeve make a call to Mixx HR, find out what status Hera filled on her employment forms,"

A few minutes after Maeve returns to his side.

"Single and Divorced," Maeve answers. "Single on the application form, divorced on the employment forms,"

Lexis breaks out into laughter.

"So is she married, single or divorced?" Maeve asks in confusion when he stops laughing.

"All three,"

"What? That's not possible,"

"Depending on how you break it down it's possible,"

"How?" Maeve asks.

"Let's start with married. Why will Hera be married?"

"Love?" Maeve volunteers.

"She doesn't love that man,"

"Then why? Money?" Maeve asks.

"That plays a part,"

"She's a gold digger?" Maeve says in surprise.

"Not in that sense,"

"Explain,"

"On what authority did the rejected volunteer father stop the case?" Lexis asks.

"The fact that he is Hera's husband," Maeve starts still trying to piece his reasoning together.

"Not that part," Lexis says quickly and coldly cutting her off.

"The UJJCEA laws..." She starts again.

"Not that part the good part," Lexis says impatiently.

"That he has legal custody?" Maeve says wondering where he was going with this.

"Hold on...right there, legal what custody?"

"Sole custody?" Maeve says to which Lexis nods.

"And if I heard that Mad Hatter of a lawyer right, he has sole custody but Hera the mother doesn't, correct?" He asks.

"Correct," Maeve answers realization kicking in.

"Why does he have sole custody? Why doesn't Hera?" She asks.

"This so called marriage happened four years ago, a time where Hera was mentally unstable," Lexis replies.

"You think he tricked her into it?"

"No...she made a concious decision to do that,"

"Why?"

"Why would a mother give her child to another while not getting out of her life? Hera gave him sole custody and instead of walking away like parents who give up kids for adoption do she married him, why?" Lexis asks looking at Maeve, waiting for her to guess correctly.

"She wanted to stay in her life," Maeve guesses.

"But why couldn't she keep custody?" He asks.

"Her mental state?" Maeve suggests.

"Bingo," Lexis says getting up and leaning against the side bench.

"Due to Hera's state and situation, she was scared of losing Shakespeare and decided the best way to protect her was to give him sole custody," Lexis explains.

"Protect her? From what?"

"Not what, who,"

"Who?" Maeve says.

"What would be her mental state, but instead of giving it to the next likely candidate for guardian should her mental health deteriorate, her brother. She gave the child to someone not related, a wealthy man who also happened to be in love with her. In other words a stranger, hence the question is not what but who," Lexis says continuing,

"Considering she thought I was dead, I'd never appear to try taking her child from her, her parents wouldn't either. Jake her abusive father is in jail and would never be granted custody. That leaves one option,"

"Your father?"

He claps slowly three times. "Bulls-eye," He says pointing at her.

"After losing one child, abandoning their father and possibly leading to his death the last thing Hera would do is abandon her daughter in the hands of someone else,"

"But did she need to marry him? Couldn't she have given him custody and stayed in her daughters life?" Maeve asks.

"Tell me what you know about the Vanderbilt's," Lexis says.

Maeve fills him in after which he makes a call.

"If I remember correctly, you're dating a Vanderbilt. Right?" Lexis says to the person on the other end.

"Good, tell me everything you know about the family especially in relation to Ethan Vanderbilt," Lexis says and quietly listens as the person on the other end talks. He asks questions in between and listens to the answers. Once done he cuts the call and stays quiet in thought.

"Rutherfold Vanderbilt," Lexis says.

"Ethan's grandfather?" Maeve says to which he nods.

"He's the reason why they're married,"

"Such a man will never accept a child on his family registry as the son to a future patriarch without a legal mother and wife listed under the Vanderbilt name as the mom,"

"But he could have married another,"

Lexis raises his index finger and shakes it. 

"Not when he loved her, was going to be her child's legal father and most importantly, Hera would never allow her child call someone else, a stranger, mom except she's dead,"

Maeve stays silent digesting everything.

"When she filed that form she signed what?"

"Divorced,"

"Exactly,"

"They're divorced?"

"Possibly?"

"Possibly?"

"Did you see what happened back there? Hera looked to him for confirmation of their being married,"

"She did?" Maeve says trying to recall.

"She did! It was as if she wasn't sure," Maeve says in recollection.

"In Hera's mind they're divorced but for some reason she wasn't sure. The only thing that makes sense is his..."

"Not having filed the papers," Maeve voices getting the clear picture.

"If Hera had the papers signed and sent to him then in her mind they were divorced but since he showed up claiming they're married he's yet to have handed the documents to the court,"

"But if he divorces her he'll no longer be patriarch right?" Maeve asks.

"That was when he was still a candidate, Ethan Reynolds was named the next patriach just this year,"

"Lets go," He says walking to the car.

"To Nathan?"

"Maeve I see you can't seem to get him out of your head, if you love him so much I can send you to hell with him,"

"I'll pass," Maeve says raising her hands in surrender.

"Good thinking," Lexis says getting into the car.

"To see Shakespeare," He says to which Maeve nods and takes out her phone to make some calls on her location.

Arriving at the daycare assigned by the court for her while the case was going on, Lexis walks in to see Shakespeare drawing.

"Are you sure you're my daughter?" Lexis says glancing at her drawing over her shoulder.

Shakespeare turns and notices Lexis breaking into a huge grin.

"Daddy!!!!" She screams  wrapping her left arm around his legs.

Maeve smiles by the side.

"Shakespeare is your mother married to E?"

"Mawwied to who?"

"E," Lexis repeats.

"Nooooo," She says elongating the o.

Lexis glances at Maeve and raises an eyebrow grinning.

"Isn't E your daddy?"

"No no no no nooooooooo wwong,"

She says squeezing her face in disapproval.

"So who is he?"

"My best fwiend and mummy's fwiend. You are going to be mummy's husband I can't have two daddy's,"

"I thought you wanted two daddies?"

"My weal daddy and you, but you're my weal daddy so I don't need another daddy because I can't have two daddies! Urgh," She says slapping her palms against her forehead.

Lexis chuckles.

"Yup, you're definitely my daughter," He says looking at the door which just opened revealing Hera and E.

"If it isn't the heathens," Lexis says with snide.

"Heathens?" Maeve says confused.

Lexis nods to the door.

Maeve glances at the duo of Hera and Ethan in understanding.

Hera halts in shock at the sight of Lexis. Not having expected to see him so soon and, at the daycare. 

E places his hands in hers squeezing it, he urges her over. Her eyes remain trained on Lexis whose eyes trail down to her hands in E's.

She quickly takes back her hand.

Letting out a deep breath, she walks forward.

"Shakes, look who's here," Hera says to Shakespeare who was busy packing up her bag.

Shakespeare looks up and notices the two approaching.

"Oh!" She says jumping up, throwing down the bag and book in her hand.

"E!" Shakespeare screams running up to E who scoops her up in his arms and whirls around with her.

"Little demon!"

"Little pwincess," Shakespeare corrects frowning.

"Ah yes little princess, my bad," E says laughing.

"Missed me?"

"Mhmm,"

"How much?"

"I missed you I missed you, I missed you I missed you I missed you I missed you!" She screams laughing with E who rubs his forehead against hers.

Hera walks up to Lexis and smiles but he doesn't return it.

"E I'll go fill out the release forms," Hera says to which E okays with his left hand while looking up at Lexis.

"Oh E! Have you met my daddy?!"Shakespeare says pointing to Lexis.

"We met earlier today," E says smiling at Lexis.

"We meet again," E says to Lexis.

"Unfortunately," Lexis replies with a bored tone.

"Shakespeare want to come with me today?" He asks to which the little girls ears perk up at the words quickly struggling out of E's hold.

"Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes!"

"Have you asked Hera if that's okay?" E says from the side.

"Do I look like I need your advice on my daughter?"

"Considering I knew her for five years and you knew her for a month I'd say yes you need some help,"

"You knew her five years and couldn't even get her to call you dad, Yah I'll pass," Lexis says turning around to help her pack her books.

Maeve glances at E, convinced no blows would be exchanged, she walks away. Heading upstairs, she approaches Hera who was seated quietly, awaiting her turn.

"It's obvious you still love him why won't you fight for him?" Maeve asks Hera seating next to her.

"I don't,"

"We both know that's not true," Maeve replies calling her bluff.

They both stay silent.

After a while Hera speaks.

"After what I did to him...Lexis can never forgive me I don't expect him to either," Hera replies.

"Or rather..." Maeve says as she gets an insight into the root of the problem.

"... you don't want him to," Maeve says to which Hera draws in her lips, biting.

"You blame yourself for what happened to him. It's not that you don't believe he can forgive you, you know he can but you don't want him to because you have yet to forgive yourself," Maeve says.

Hera looks away.

Maeve lets out a heavy sigh and twitches her lips.

"Has anyone ever told you how I came to work for him?" Maeve asks.

Hera shakes her head turning her attention back to Maeve.

"I had just graduated from Quantico, the FBI academy. My brother who just returned from a trip to Somalia was driving while having no rest and sleep for about 48 hours because his little sister had made a fuss about her graduation asking him to never speak to her again if he didn't come as he was my only family, our parents died in a crash when we were young,"

"He didn't come?"Hera asks.

Maeve nods.

"He fell asleep at the wheel and got into an accident with another car that led to the end of my brothers life and in many ways the life of the other driver," Maeve says.

"I'm sorry," Hera replies symphatizing with her.

"It's not your fault if anything, I should be the one apologizing to you,"Maeve says.

"To me? Why?" Hera asks confused.

"Because the other driver was Alexander," Maeve says to which Hera gasps in shock.

***

Question there's one plot twist I planned from the beginning that's close by(It's the final plot twist that ties everything together) but I've been having second thoughts about as I feel you've had tooooo many of them. Should I go ahead with it or should I let it go? Are you tired of the twists?