Madeline grinned, having already kicked her shoes off and pulled down her hair, letting is run in loose waves around her shoulders. She stood and moved over to the bed where he was laying, a smirk dancing across her lips.

"I want to do neither." She climbed onto the bed, straddling him and leaning down to kiss him softly. "I'd prefer to show you how thankful I am for you dropping everything and coming with me." Her voice was soft, her words whispered in his ear. She nuzzled his neck, her lips leaving gentle kisses. 

Gavin's icy blue eyes looked up at her steadily.

"Well... I'm not exactly an expert on customs in the South, but it seems like bad manners to refuse a lady's offer to express her gratitude."

He closed his eyes and half-purred, half-growled as she kissed his neck. Her hair fell against his chest, and he lazily traced his fingers through it with a smile. 

"Did you have anything... particular in mind?"

Even as he smirked, his eyes snapped open as he looked around for a pufferfish.... just to be safe. Not seeing any, he closed them again with a smile.

"Very bad manners." Madeline grinned as she kissed down his neck to the area of his chest that was already exposed. Her fingers undid more buttons so she could push his shirt open further, tracing his scars with her lips as she kissed lower down his chest.

At his question, she couldn't help but chuckle softly. "Mmmmhmm." She toyed with the edge of his pants, her voice teasing. "A few actually. But one particular place to start."

Madeline couldn't see his face, but she could hear the smirk in his voice nonetheless.

"You know... I'm something off an expert on manners, actually. I seem to recall something about... always returning the favor?"

Madeline laughed softly at his statement. "A good hostess ensures her guests are always well taken care of and they would never dare let them left a finger in return." 

She focused on getting his pants off as her lips continued to travel down his body, leaving a trail of kisses. She glanced up at him for a moment, her voice teasing when she spoke again.

"Of course, I never was the best hostess." If his eyes were open she would have winked before turning her attention back to her task. 

Gavin was quiet for a long time, smirking, before he answered.

"Well... I suppose I can lift a finger."

He exhaled deeply. Stubbornly, he was tempted to try to hold out as long as he could. But there was a part of Gavin that always felt restless in these situations, like he should be doing more. It was hard to just sit still and enjoy himself. 

A few minutes later, he indulged his restlessness as Madeline sprawled back on the bed. She'd been more nervous today than he'd ever seen her before, and it didn't take much work for that tension to melt out of her. He gave her everything she could handle- and then just the slightest bit more. When they were both finished, Gavin lay next to her, tracing the outline of her body as he was about to make another wisecrack about Southern hospitality. The sound of Madeline's gentle snoring silenced him immediately, and he grinned as he found the sheet and covered her with it.

Unlike her to just fall asleep like that. Then again, it had been a hell of a day for her.

Planting a final kiss on her naked shoulder, Gavin rolled over and closed his eyes. 

For the most part, Madeline slept without any frightful dreams. It could be due to the sheer exhaustion of the past 24 hours or the presence of Gavin in the bed next to her. She wasn't known to spend the night with a man, that created an attachment Madeline had never wanted before. But this was obviously a different circumstance. Right?

The next morning, when he awoke, she would be gone.  

Just when Gavin started to wonder where in the world Madeline had run off to this time, there she was walking through the door, with two steaming cups of coffee and a bag of assorted breakfast muffins and such. She was dressed casually, with her hair swept up under a big hat and dark sunglasses covering her eyes. As she started to pull off the pieces of her amateur disguise, she looked over at him and smiled. 

"I was hoping to make it back before you woke up. Figured we could use some nourishment."

Seeing the look on his face, she laughed. "You didn't think I'd run off again did you?" 

Gavin smiled.

"Of course I did. Although I figured you wouldn't be leaving me to handle this mess on my own."

Standing, he wrapped the sheet around him and shuffled forward to grab a muffin. 

"Speaking of handling this... what are you thinking, now that you've been able to sleep on it."

Gavin ticked off his potential plans on his fingers, speaking through a mouthful of muffin.

"Here's what I've got.

First, we could just kill everyone at the gala... slightly unrefined, maybe.

Second, you could put yourself out front and center while I try to poison the guy.

Third, we do your plan of pretending to leave and taking him out later. Although I might recommending holing up somewhere for a little while if that's the plan. Seems a bit suspicious for him to drop dead the day after. Besides, I'm sure we could find some way to amuse ourselves for a few days. 

Four, we check and see if he has any food allergies and try to take him out that way.

Five, similarly, see if this guy is on any sort of life saving medication. If we swap his heart medication for sugar pills, we just let nature take its course.

Six, set up a cat accident- make it look like he just lost control or veered off the road. 

Seven, we try to pull off what we did at the jewelry store on a much larger scale. You should up and be Jenny, set a perfect alibi, I show up and "rob" the place. Seems like any place that would host a gala would be too much for one man to handle for long... but really, I'd just need a few minutes to collect some wallets- and, oh, just happen to shoot one particular hostage.

Eight, we search your blackmailer's house and try to find her "insurance". If we do, might be easier to remove her.

Nine, hunting accident?

Ten... "

Realizing he'd counted so many fingers he'd dropped the sheet, he sighed and headed for the bathroom. He yelled through the door as he went.

"See what happens when I'm properly motivated, Mads?"

Laughing, he grabbed another muffin on his way out, grabbed the sheet, and started eating it in bed. 

"What're you thinking? Like I said, this whole show is your call."

Madeline watched Gavin list of ten or so different plans, an amused expression on her face as she quietly sipped her coffee. She chuckled as he talked about proper motivation, eventually picking up a muffin herself and nibbling at it.

“Did you think all of this up in your sleep?” She raised an eyebrow, teasing him slightly. He seemed like he was in his element, and honestly, it was kind’ve adorable. Sitting cross-legged on the bed next to him, she hmmmed to herself as she thought about all the different options he listed. "I will admit, the idea of holing up with you somewhere for a few days is rather enticing." She grinned at him for a moment before continuing. 

“I really want to try and avoid the poison route. Since that’s what I did with Vernon, I just think it would be to close. I do like the idea of messing with his car – an accident on his way home from the gala while I’m still there? There’s no way they could link it to me.”

She took another sip of her coffee before she continued. “Nikolas stayed behind with the plane. I could always have him come out here if needed; although the more strangers that show up in town the more noticeable it will be that something is wrong. He could drive out the night of the gala, follow him home and make sure the job is done. Then drive right back to the airport.”

Gavin stepped into his pants and buckled them, reclining back on the bed.

"Like I said, this is your show. I'd just your sidekick on this job."

He winked. 

"I'm perfectly content to follow your..."

Orders? No, that'd be a lie.

"... direction."

Gavin grinned, but then his expression grew more serious.

"Although hey... this does seem to feel more and more like a trap... you getting forced back here right at this gala? Something seems up."

“Oh, it’s becoming more and more evident that this is a trap. There’s no way the timing isn’t planned out meticulously. I’m more curious as to why Eve didn’t come to town to witness it herself; I know you mentioned she’d have more of an alibi by being in New York but something in me is surprised she wouldn’t want to see her plan unfold.”

Madeline finished off her coffee, setting the empty cup on the nightstand. “We can’t do anything other than be prepared and try to outsmart them. I think we can have a plan a, b, and c, just in case.” She smirked, chuckling softly as she said, “Tara would be proud I think.”

“I’ll call Nikolas and have him drive into town at the start of the gala. We can plan for the idea of driving this man off the road on his way home. But, what if he doesn’t drive himself? Do we want to risk him walking away from the crash?”

She stood from the bed and started pacing, trying to tie all the pieces together. She was getting more into it now, her voice picking up in speed, much like he had been earlier when he was listing them off. “I’m worried about using poison because I feel like that’s what they would expect. They want to tie to this to Vernon’s death, that’s obvious. Maybe they think I’d be stupid enough to use the same poison? I don’t know. So, it must be some kind of more violent death. Your robbery idea isn’t bad, although I think it’s a big job for one person to take on. I have no idea how to find out if he’s on any medication or has any allergies. It’s a small town, the minute we start asking questions, everyone knows.”

“I do want to search for whatever information Eve has, but her house is Jack’s house, so we’d need to be sure he’s not home. Maybe some kind of urgent call tonight that gets him out of the house? Then we can sneak in and search the place. She can’t possibly be working alone, I’m realizing that more and more as time goes on.”

As if realizing that she was pacing, she suddenly stopped. “I say, we drive out of town to one of the bigger cities and get the supplies and things that we need for the next couple of days. Then we can come back here for a while, and late tonight we go find Jack and Eve’s house. We get everything as lined up as we can and then we figure out the gala.”

She took a deep breath as if all that talking had worn her out. “I will say,” She struggled to find the best way to phrase the next statement. “I’d prefer that you come with me to the gala. So far your presence on this trip it’s…. grounded me. Having you at my side from the start, I think it might make me…stronger?” Madeline clearly wasn’t used to admitting such things, so she distracted herself by picking up the hat and glasses she'd worn earlier. 

“Anyways, let’s go shopping.”

"Maybe she'll be a surprise guest back to see her plan unfold."

Gavin shrugged.

"I agree, though. We'll just have to stay on our toes and have backup plans."

Gavin listened to her discuss the possibility of their target walking away from the crash. 

"Well, we could always just hit him with something heavy if he survives the crash, then put him back in the car. I'm not saying that it'd fool whathisface...

Gavin paused, trying to think of the detective's name. Nothin'.

"... a really good detective. But most of these small town guys would just chalk anything up to the car accident."

"I think poison is a really bad idea. It's what I'd normally do here... but like you said, maybe they're just trying to catch you red handed."

"Sounds like a plan to me."

Gavin stood up to follow her out the door, but she stopped before picking up her hat and glasses. Gavin just winked.

"Did you just ask me on a date? Don't think I've ever been to a gala before..."

Still, he draped a supportive arm around her shoulder as they headed out the door to go shopping.

Madeline drove them a few hours outside of town, so they could shop in peace without having to look over their shoulder every few seconds. She was careful to ensure they weren’t being followed, even though anyone who did follow them would see that they really were just shopping. As much as she was not a typical girly girl, Madeline was still a girl and she was picky when it came to these sorts of decisions.

Then again, it wouldn’t be all bad for Gavin, given that she needed someone to help her in and, more importantly, out of all the dresses she was trying on. It led to a few….distractions…along the way.

By evening, they were back in the hotel, both having picked up what they would need for the next few days. As the sun set, Madeline was trying to think of the best ways to get Jack out of his house. She sat on the chair near the desk, sideways so that her feet dangled over the armrest.

“We need him gone at least an hour or two if we’re going to be able to really search the house. We could create some sort of distraction but the more we do the more likely we get caught.” As if a lightbulb went off, Madeline sat up a little straighter. “Oh! What if I just go to chat with him? I mean, Jack and Eve weren’t super close to Vernon and I but it wouldn’t be completely unusual for me to make rounds now that I’m back in town. I could distract him while you sneak in and search the house? Even if he or someone else is in on this, they'd be expecting me to scope out the place at some point."

Gavin nodded.

"That sounds fine to me. Just don't start with him, I'd say. Talk to the other people in his social circle first. Let word get out that you're back in town and catching up with people. That way when you go see him he'll know what to expect. If you just check in with him and no one else... that's suspicious as hell- especially if he drops dead."

Madeline frown, nodding slightly at his statement. “That’s true. But I don’t think I have enough time to make the rounds, it would be a bit odd for me to just start showing up at people’s houses without prior arrangements.”

She took a moment to think back to the people she spent so much time with when she lived here. They loved a good party, but there was no way to arrange one on such short notice and to try and throw even a simple dinner before the gala wouldn’t be practical. But she did know how to get Jack himself out of the house. “Plan B then. We make sure he’s not home when we get there.”

A half hour or so later and everything was set in motion. She’d called in an old favor, although her father had laid the groundwork. There were very few people she trusted in town but as long as they didn’t get caught in Jack’s house, no one would be the wiser.

Madeline didn’t want to be totally spur of the moment, but at the same time, too much planning made her head hurt. She had to stay true to herself if this trip was going to be a success. If she thought about everything that could go wrong, she’d never try anything.

A brief time later and she was stopping the car on a quiet side road. Wearing a black jumpsuit with black flats and her hair tied up in a loose bun, Madeline was ready for action. She looked over at Gavin with a smile.

“We walk the rest of the way. We should have around an hour to see what we can find and get back out.  Plenty of time.”

Gavin winked.

"Famous last words. Let's go."

Gavin was wearing his usual suit and dress shirt without the tie, and he slipped and arm around Madeline's waist as they made their way around the corner. If they got caught... well, they'd think of something. Missionaries?

He grinned, then glanced around as they approached the house. No one watching... he even checked the windows for old ladies with nothing better to do. Not seeing anything, he and Madeline ducked into the backyard.

The home was just as Madeline remembered it – big and fancy. Then again, that’s what most of their homes had looked like. It seemed that her phone calls earlier had succeeded, and the home was empty. Eve was still in New York and Jack had been called away. Now they just needed to find something they could use.

She walked to the back door, hoping the couple didn’t have any dogs or weird security features. Grabbing a bobby pin from her hair, she picked the lock and pushed the door open. She kept her voice low, just to be safe.

“I assume she would have kept whatever she has locked up in her own space. She wouldn’t want Jack to find it unless he’s in on it which I doubt. I haven’t been in this house in so long, we’re just going to have to go upstairs and start searching.”

The back door led into the kitchen area; she didn’t dare turn on any lights, so she waited for her vision to adjust to the darkness in the home. “They probably have separate bedrooms; Eve made it seem a very unhappy marriage. Do you want to search his and I’ll search hers?”

Madeline didn’t know the exact layout of the house, but she knew the bedrooms would be upstairs. Jack would probably have a study somewhere too, so they’d have to find that. She moved out of the kitchen down the hallway to the stairs. So far, so good. She wondered if they had any live-in staff; she hadn’t thought of that possibility before. But the house was dark and quiet, so she doubted anyone was home.

Once upstairs, they would need to check each room to find the ones they were looking for. It wasn’t uncommon in the south for husband and wife to have different bedrooms and the stark difference in them made it easy for the two to figure out which was which.

Madeline would search everywhere in Eve’s room, rummaging through drawers and under the mattress. She found a small safe in the closest – bingo. It took a few tries, but she was eventually able to break into it, finding more than she bargained for.

There were pictures and slips of paper with addresses and names of places. Madeline recognized them all – they were businesses she frequented. She even saw a flyer for her Southern Charm Boat Tours in the pile. There were letters describing Madeline, the work she did and who she was working for. It looked like Eve had been paying someone to follow Madeline, to learn everything they could about her. Her mind flashed to the stalker girl she’d had committed to Bellevue not long ago – could she be connected to this?

And then there were the letters. Carefully bound together with a ribbon, she quickly recognized Vernon’s handwriting. Untying the ribbon, she began to read them, one by one. There once was a time that Madeline had loved Vernon; she would never have married him if she hadn’t. It was about more than the money and the life he could offer her. But it seemed he had begun his affair with Eve even before he began to hit her. It made her sick to read the words he wrote to Eve, especially when he described Madeline and what he saw as her shortcomings.

She wasn’t paying attention to the time so when Gavin came looking for her he would find her sitting on the closet floor, having turned on a small light and surrounded by papers.

Gavin wasn't exactly a cat burglar, so as he walked into Jack's room he just started rummaging around. A loaded gun in the nightstand- good to know. Some pornographic photographs under the mattress, but nothing that would get him in too much trouble. He moved to the next room briskly, hoping the study would reveal more. The desk was full of papers, mostly overdue bills. And there- a recent bank statement.... much, much lower than Gavin expected, considering the house. Money problems? Potentially something that they could use...

When he returned to Madeline, he was surprised to see her on the floor.

"Mads... isn't this better to do back at the hotel?"

He furrowed his brow.

"What's wrong?"

Madeline was started by his voice, being drawn back to the present to the task at hand. She quickly folded up the letters, tying the ribbon around the pile again. She hesitated – did she want to risk taking them with her? What could they do for her at this point? Vernon was dead, and these letters would only bring her more pain. She shoved them back into the box before looking up at Gavin, smiling weakly.

“Nothing just…She wasn’t lying about their affair. And it was going on for longer than I would have thought.” She wondered if that was part of what spoiled their relationship. If Vernon secretly wished he had married Eve instead of her, if he was constantly comparing them as he seemed to do in the letters, Madeline never quite measuring up. He lashed out at her in anger, not just at their life and his stress, but at the fact that she wasn't the woman he really wanted. 

She took the other items, the ones about her - the letters and the pictures and flyers. “She’d been having me followed, for a while it seems. That’s how she got all her information about me. I have an idea of who might have been sending her the information but these letters should help me to confirm it.”

Standing, she motioned for the door. “We should go. Did you find anything?”

Gavin hadn't seen Madeline quite like this before, but this wasn't the time or place to have that discussion. It was time to leave- and soon. Gavin patted his pockets.

"Got some bank statements, debt collections... they're almost broke. Maybe she paid a little too much for that information about you. Or maybe she put every dollar she had into this trap of hers..."

Gavin helped Madeline to her feet as they headed for the door, silently moving through the house to exit the same way they'd come in.