I know it won't work by Gracie Abrams

Part of me wants you back but I know it won't work like that, huh?

Toby had taken me outside to talk in private. The horizon was empty other than trees and a river, I can see why Sheffield Grayson would choose here. Nobody around. Nobody to see or hear the damage he would have done.

"You're going to keep her a secret?" I demand, "Eve?"

"Go with your friends. Travel north. Go home." He tells me. 

"That's it?" I swallow. "That's all you have to say to me?"

Toby reaches out and brushes the hair off of my forehead. "Or.. You can come with me." He suggests again. 

I go silent again. 

"My mom and I had this game," I tell him, trying my best not to cry. "We had lots of games, actually- but this one, her favorite, it was about secrets."

He doesn't make eye contact. "I made her promise never to tell you- about me, about my family. But if it was just a game, if you guessed... Damn it, Hannah."

"How the fuck was I supposed to guess?" The words burst out of my mouth. I relax my face when I remember, "She said that she had a secret about the day I was born."

Toby stays silent.

"You signed my birth certificate." I want answers.

"There was a storm that night," he says quietly. "Worst one I'd ever seen- Hawthorne Island included. I shouldn't have been there in the first place. I'd managed to stay away from Hannah for nine long months. But something brought me back. I just wanted to see her again, even if I couldn't let her see me." 

"Forecasts were calling for a hurricane. And she was alone. I was going to stay away. She was never supposed to know that I was there, but then the power went out- and she went into labor."

"The ambulance didn't make it in time," Toby says, his voice growing hoarse. "She needed someone."

"You." I manage one word, through tears.

"I brought you into this world, Paris Riley Grambs."

There it is. My mother's secret. Toby was there the night I was born. He'd delivered me. I wonder what my mom felt, seeing him again after years. I wonder if she'd tried to make him stay.

"Your Mom and Ricky had a name all picked out. Margaret. Your welcome by the way, I was the one who talked her out of it."

"Hannah was set on giving you Ricky's last name," Toby continues. "But she didn't like the first name Margaret that he chose, she thought it was too old fashioned."

"Ricky wasn't there." I blink back tears and stare at Toby. "You were."

"When the ambulance got there, I disappeared," Toby continues. "I snuck into the hospital one last time to see you both."

"You signed the birth certificate," I say.

"With Ricky's name, not mine. It was the least he owed her."

"And then you left." I stare at him, trying not to hate him for it.

"I had to."

"No, you didn't." My Mother loved him. He didn't have to leave. 

"You have to understand. My father's resources were unlimited. He never stopped looking for me. I had to stay on the move if I wanted to stay dead."

"What are you going to do now?" I ask, my voice like sandpaper in my throat. "The world knows you're alive. Your father is dead. As far as we know, Sheffield Grayson was the only person who realized the old man had buried the police report about Hawthorne Island. He's the only one who knew-"

"I know what you're thinking, Riley." Toby's eyes soften, I don't object to him calling me Riley. 

"But I can't come back. I promised myself a long time ago that I would never forget what I did, that I would never move on. Hannah wouldn't let me turn myself in, but exile is what I deserved."

"What about what other people deserve?" I fire back. "Did my mother deserve to die without you there? Did she deserve to spend her entire life in love with a ghost?"

"Hannah deserved the world."

"So why didn't you give it to her?" I clench my jaw. "Why was punishing yourself more important than what she wanted?"

"I don't expect you to understand," Toby tells me gently. "I do understand," I reply. 

"You're not staying gone because you have to. You're making a choice, and it's selfish." I think about Mr. and Mrs. Laughlin, about Rebecca's Mother, about me. "What gives you the right to deceive the people who love you? To make that kind of decision for everyone else?"

Silence.

"You have a daughter now- you have two." I remind him, his face softens.

"Do you still want to be a dancer?" He asks randomly. "What?" My heart pauses, my face melts.

"Your Mother wrote me every month, telling me how you were getting on. Until the very day she died. She told me everything. She told me about all your dance recitals and pep rallies when you were a cheerleader. She told me you wanted to become a dancer. At first she thought it was a faze every child goes through but you were persistent, she saw how much work you put into it and she was so proud.. I'm so proud." 

I bite my cheek, trying to stop myself from sobbing. "I'm going to Massachusetts Academy of Dance in a couple days. I'm leaving early, but i haven't told anyone yet." I confide.

He grins proudly, "That's great." He tells me. 

"But I want to be with you. I'm not going. I'm not going back to the Hawthorne House either. I'm coming with you. My Dad. And I'm going to meet my sister." I decide, smiling hopefully.

"Riley.." He hesitates, my smile drops. He doesn't want me to come anymore. "You're going to that school." He tells me. "No." I warn. "No you can't leave." I beg.

"I have to. And you have to go to school and be the dancer you've always wanted to be. Make your Mom proud. Make me proud."

"No." I cry, "Please take me with you." I beg. "I want you to go, princess. Get in the car with your friends, and drive north."

"I can't do that," I insist. "Sheffield Grayson is dead! There's a body. The police are going to want to know what happened. And Grayson can't go down for murder, he was protecting me. If we tell the police what really happened-"

"I know men like Sheffield Grayson." He starts, "He's covered his tracks. No one knows where he is or who he was after. There will be nothing to tie him to this warehouse- nothing to even suggest he was in the state."

"So?"

Toby looks beyond me, just for a moment "I know more than I wish I did about what it takes to make something, or someone, disappear."

"What about his family?" I cry. Grayson's family. "I can't let you-"

"You're not letting me do anything." Toby reaches out and touches my cheek, "Don't you know by now? No one lets a Hawthorne do anything."

"This is wrong," I repeat.

"I have to, Paris." Toby is implacable. "For Eve. The spotlight, the media circus, the rumours, the stalkers, the threats- I can't save you from that, Paris Riley Grambs. I would if I could, but it's too late. The old man did what he did. He pulled you onto the board. But if I stay in shadows, if I make this disappear, if I disappear- then we can save Eve."

"It's not all bad," I say sarcastically. "Kidnapping, murder attempts, stalking, the media. I'm doing fine."

He shakes his head with a small laugh, "You're funny." 

"And you will stay fine, as long as I stay dead. Go. Drive. If anyone asks you what happened, claim amnesia. What happened here today, did not happen. I'll take care of the rest."

My hands shake, "But it did. It did happen. Everyone I love leaves me.. Please don't leave me." I beg one last time.

"You sound just like her." He sighs. "I never could win an argument with Hannah." He closes his eyes. "Some people are smart. Some people are good." He opens his eyes and puts a hand on each of my shoulders. "And some people are both."

I can't help but snort. "I'm anything but smart." I laugh. He smirks, "Oh Paris. You're my daughter, of course you're smart. Not all intelligence is measured in how good you do in school or how quick you are at answering questions in class. You're quick on your feet. You know how people feel just by looking at them. And even more importantly, you're great at solving riddles." He winks. 

I don't know if that's entirely true or not but something about the way he's talking to me makes me believe him.

"You're not staying, are you?" I realise. "No matter what I say."

"I can't." Toby pulls me in. He hugs me. I hug him back.

I have a Dad.

I have a sister.

I have a whole other family.

"Good luck, Riley." He pulls back. 

And I watch him walk away. He walks back inside, passing my friends on the way who all stand at the door watching sadly. He stops to talk to Avery. Then after she pulls something out her pocket he takes it. 

They finish their short conversation and he nods at Xander, Grayson and Jameson. His nephews. My Boyfriends uncle is my Dad... 

Am I dating my cousin?

I watch as Toby walks back inside, taking a small part of my heart with him, the part that once belonged to my Mother. 

He's gone. And I don't think I'll see him again. 

My friends walk towards me again. "You okay, Pear?" Avery frowns. 

I bite my cheek, smile and wipe the tears from my eyes. "I guess. I mean I've got a whole other family now." I grin.

I frown when I realise something, "But I've just lost a sister."

Avery realises, "Libby." She vocalises. I nod.

"I'm gonna go wash off in that river. I'm like the most flammable mirrorball to ever exist." I joke, looking down at my gasoline covered body. My skin looks like it's been doused in tanning oil, making it shiny and slightly tinted.

I walk towards the river and pull my sticky shorts off, leaving my orange bikini on. I step into the knee deep river and begin washing myself off. 

Grayson follows me over, sitting by the edge whilst the others get the car started. He looks vulnerable, something I don't see often in Grayson. Once I've rinsed as much as I can of my hair I stand up and step in front of him.

"Hey." I speak softly. He smiles lazily. I take his hands in mine. 

"Thank you." I say quietly. He looks up into my eyes. "I wasn't going to just let you die." He tells me.

"I know, but I know it took a lot to shoot your Father to save me." I squeeze his hands. 

"If it was the other way about you would do the same." He says, almost sounding like a question. "Of course I would. No hesitation." I smile. 

"You don't understand the power you have over me." He speaks lowly. I freeze, "What?" I ask. 

"I shot my Father for you. And I would do it again." 

My face softens, "Gray.." I sigh. I don't want him to have to let him down like this. 

"No Paris. I know where our relationship lies and I don't want to change it. This isn't me making a move on you or anything. You know just as well as I do that this. Cannot happen. Jameson loves you too much. He wouldn't do that to you so I'm not letting you do this to him. I just want you to know how much you mean to me. How much you mean to all of us." 

I grin, and pull him into a hug, squeezing him tight. He hesitates at first but then hugs me back, he needs this. 

His arms squeeze my bare shoulders.

When we finally pull away from each other I stick my hand out for him to shake, "Daddy issues?" I ask with a smirk, he scoffs, taking my hand in his, "Daddy issues." He agrees. He helps me out of the river and leads me back to everyone else. 

Max wraps me in a huge fluffy towel that I immediately recognise to be from Jameson's room.

I see Jameson standing by the gas pump of the car. He spots me and jogs towards me. 

He pulls me into a hug making me feel even warmer than I already am in his soft towels.

"Is it too soon to say you looked hot covered in all that gasoline?" He mutters in my ear. "Is it too soon to say I would've looked even hotter if Sheffield Grayson threw the match in?" I smirk. 

He laughs, "I love you." He says, leaning down for a kiss. I place my hand in between our lips, he kisses my hand. "Careful. We're family now." I shrug. "Like that could stop us." He grins and moves my hand away, connecting our lips.

"Woah, Jamie. Stop kissing our cousin." Xander walks past with mock disgust. We both laugh, "We don't share a single drop of blood. Toby was adopted. Just like you." He flips Xander off and goes back to kissing me again. Xander snorts and gets in the car.

Everyone begins getting into the car, Grayson drives. Max, Avery and Xander in the back. Jameson gets into the passenger seat. "Seriously?" I ask deadpan as he gestures for me to come over to him. 

"We've done it before." He shrugs. I groan but get in nonetheless, sitting on his lap as he holds me by the waist. 

"As long as Gray's a better driver than your asshole friend." I warn. "Grayson is the safest driver you'll find." He assures. 

(a/n. Two more chapters!! I know a lot of people won't be satisfied with the ending of part 2 but it's a huge part of Part 3 and I personally like the choice.

I may just drop a little hint about something in part 3..

You know what school Paris is attending? MASSACHUSETTS Academy of Dance. You know what's in Massachusetts?... Harvard.

I'll just leave that there and see if anyone remembers the school where a certain character attends..

Anyway, totally didn't spoil half the plot of the next part.)