Six years have brought changes. I've been slaving away on the Manor tirelessly while Dexter worked. It now sparkles and shines like new. It's more beautiful than ever and I'm immensely proud of what I've achieved. That's on the good days, at least. On the bad days, I eat myself up because I lost my child. Because I haven't been able to conceive again. Because it might never happen for Dexter and me.
My hands form fists. If I could just-
We round the corner and I see a police car parked in front of the Manor.
"What's happening, Leroy?" I ask, trying to keep my voice as level as possible as I address our new driver.
"I'll find out for you, Mrs. Booth." Leroy gets out to open my door, but I'm already out of the door, walking briskly to the front of the house where my husband is talking to two uniformed officers.
"What's going on?" I demand, my eyes going to my husband first.
Dexter is somehow getting more handsome by the year. His jaw is covered in dark stubble, but just as chiseled as it was when I first met him. He's got a maturity going for him now though, one that makes him look distinguished, confident and suave. As always, I melt just a little at the sight of him. It's been a long time since I stopped resisting those feelings. It feels so much better to give in than to fight.
"We have eyes on a woman that could be Lily Anna." An officer speaks up from behind me, and I spin around, glaring at him.
"Lily Anna?" I repeat. Her cursed name is never forgotten in this house. Not when she took something so dear and precious away from us. "Where is she?"
"There was a sighting in town," he mutters, nervously glancing between Dexter and his fellow policeman. "We don't know if it was her yet."
"Was she alone?" I bark.
"Y-Yes," the officer stutters.
My shoulders sink. Dex appears behind me, softly placing his palms on my back. He squeezes, hard enough to stop me from panicking and remind me of his solution for everything that ails me. Pain. Sweet pain, darling pain that has become like a lover's embrace through all these years.
"That doesn't mean anything," Dexter mutters in my ear. "He could still be with her. She's probably hiding him."
"Have you heard anything?" I ask, turning my head to the side. "Has she been in touch? You, or Father?"
"No."
I groan in frustration and walk away, leaving the officers standing on the doorframe and Dexter rushing behind me.
"Pandora, don't do this."
"Why? Why not? You know it's not her, just like it wasn't the first seventeen times a sighting happened," I hiss. "This one doesn't even have a kid with her. What makes you think it's really Lily Anna?"
"This." He pulls his cell out of his pocket and shows me a simple text message.
Midnight. The cliffs at Oakes Estate. Just you.
It's not signed, but it doesn't need to be. My gut instantly recognizes her tone, her words. It's her, and she wants something.
I grab onto Dex's arm to steady myself and he embraces me. I feel my own body shaking in his arms. Neither of us says a word until minutes later, when we finally pull apart and stare into one another's eyes with resolution.
"We're going to get Reign back," I say, and Dex nods.
"I'm going to tell your father," he says next.
"Dex, she said not to tell anyone."
"Calm down." He kisses my forehead. "I haven't said anything to the cops. It'll be just us, and your father. We need to overpower her. We need to get Reign back."
"You don't even know if he's with her," I manage, but when I look at him, the hope in his eyes mirrors mine. We want the same thing, and this is the closest we've come to getting it back. "We need to leave soon."
He nods. "Emilian already knows. I've been waiting for you to come back. Where were you, anyway?"
Guiltily, I remember my errand and wave my hand as if it was nothing. "Shopping. Come on, we need to head over there."