A/N: I'm sorry I didn't get around to answering each comment on the last chapter. I was helping my best friend prepare for her wedding, and it was gorgeous! Just been busy, so thanks for understanding and for the amazing feedback!! No, this isn't going to mirror the real life drama, because I said a few chapters ago it wouldn't go there. But this one will probably take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions. Everyone always talks about how hard this must be for Dakota, but this is how hard I think it is for Jamie...Enjoy, Plan B!

***

We reach the house and Dakota is out of the car before I can even turn off the ignition. I sigh, following behind her. How the fuck will Universal cover this up?

I head inside, tossing the keys on the table next to the door. Dakota's back is to me as she stands just beyond the entryway. I go to ask her what's wrong now, but she turns and collapses in my arms. I hold her tight without hesitation, her sobs against my chest making the heart beneath it shatter.

"Shh," I coo to calm her down. I kiss her hair, running my fingers through it to massage her scalp.

"I'm sorry I fucked this up for us."

"Baby, it's okay. It'll be okay."

She shakes her head, staining my shirt with her tears. I can barely stand it. I want to comfort her and promise her the world. I only hope I can somehow deliver.

"You should go to London," she sobs.

"No," I say sternly. "I'm not going to play the bullshit game anymore. We will find another way."

I tilt her head back, but she closes her eyes, refusing to look at me. I kiss the salty streams from her cheeks.

"Please don't cry, baby. It hurts me to see you like this." I peck her forehead and she offers a small smile.

"I love you. I don't want to do this anymore." She grips my face between her soft hands.

"Then we won't. I love you too, and won't let the circus hurt you like this. It's over."

Her bottom lip quivers as she tries to read my gaze.

"I'll announce," I say.

She shakes her head before I even finish my sentence. "You can't."

"I don't give a fuck. They can shove their contract up their ass. I am not going to let you be hurt and worried every time we turn around. I'm exhausted. You're exhausted. It's done. I won't stand for it anymore."

"Jamie—" she tries to argue but I cut her off in a surprising kiss.

She lets me take what I need and I think she needs it too. Reassurance that if we choose to break our agreement with Universal that all hell will literally rain down on us. But I want it. I want Hell if she's Heaven. I'll walk through those flames to get to her. If this is the only way out besides the charade then I'll do it. No more hesitation. She deserves all of me all the time.

She pulls us apart. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

I smirk. "Baby, it's a horrible idea, but I'm gonna do it. I should've done it a long time ago. I'll pull the plug."

"Amelia will—" Again I cut her off with a kiss.

"Fuck her and everyone else. You and me, got it?"

Her eyes widen at my abrupt response. "You and me. Forever and always."

I take a deep breath. "Then I need to call Evelyn and book the first flight out of here to Belfast."

She giggles, her tears forgotten. "So when shit hits the fan we don't get pelted with it?"

I nod with a laugh. "Exactly. We're gonna need to hide. My dad's house in the middle of the country is the best place."

"Then let's run away," she whispers.

"For now."

"Forever." She pouts and I tug on her bottom lip with my thumb.

"To a farm in Colorado?"

She sniffles and nods. "The sooner the better."

I kiss her lips again. They're deliciously soft after she cries, despite how much it pains me to see her do so.

"Quick round before we call them?" I ask.

She snorts. "Sex got us on the date that got us to this point."

"Then we can't make it any worse." I shrug.

She wets her mouth with her tongue. "My bad boy in sweet boy attire."

I slap her ass and she jumps further into my embrace. "That wasn't a 'no.'"

She squeals when I bend to toss her over my shoulder. I could use a Dakota intervention before I give my publicist a heart attack.

***

Dakota lies on my chest, my fingers trailing up and down her spine. Instead of a quickie we ended up in a long, slow lovemaking session. I'm done pretending to be anyone other than hers, and I hope I conveyed that with my caresses over every inch of her skin.

"I should call Evelyn before it's too late," I mumble.

"Call in the morning," Dakota says, and I can tell she's on the verge of exhaustion.

"I haven't even checked my phone since dinner, she's probably blowing it up. Luckily she hasn't come over here to bang down the door."

Dakota giggles but doesn't respond.

"Lift up, baby." I kiss her hair.

Reluctantly she peels herself away from my torso. Her heavy eyelids look up at me, and she smiles.

"Do you want me to talk to her?" she asks.

"No, I want you to sleep. It'll be okay. When we wake up we can figure out how to get the girls and get to Belfast under the radar."

"Okay, handsome." She closes her eyes and cuddles her pillow.

I lean down to kiss her lips and she reciprocates but doesn't open her baby blues. I grab my phone from my pants pocket on the floor and head toward the living room. Zepp follows me, so I shut Dakota in on my way out.

I plop down on the couch and he joins, curling in a ball at my hip. I chuckle, scratching his fur. "Are you my support system tonight?"

He cocks his head and whines, laying it on his front paws. I sigh and hit the home button on my phone. Sure enough, there are dozens of missed calls and messages from my publicist. She wants to kill me, I don't have to listen to or read any of them to know this. I choose to bite the bullet and just call.

She answers halfway through the second ring. "Where the fuck have you been? I swear to God I'm going to kick your ass when I see you. Which might be tonight if you don't start talking."

I want to laugh, but choose not to or she might claw my eyes out through the receiver. "I should start with a 'sorry,' but I know you don't want that."

"No, I don't. You're always sorry. You always push the envelope. Why the hell you guys can't stay home and have sex like rabbits is beyond me. But of course you have to go out and be seen, and your image would naturally be uploaded to Twitter where fans are losing their minds over what it means. This close to Freed!"

"I'm done, Evelyn. I can't do it."

"Done? You're not done, that's exactly my point! You have to get through this fucking film first. What part of that do neither of you understand?"

"I meant I'm really done," I say. "With the bullshit, with the hiding, with Universal, with Amelia. It's over."

"Jamie, you better choose your next words to me very carefully."

So I do. "I want to announce my divorce. I'm not talking about being a happy husband to the press again when it's a constant lie. I'm not going to London for a pap walk when I can't even stand being near that woman. I'm taking Dakota and the girls to Belfast to see my dad while the news blows over."

She laughs a long, hearty laugh. Like a villain does when amused by the protagonist. "You've lost all common sense. So let me line this up for you. You're going to announce your divorce. Amelia is happily going to let you and the woman you fell in love with during your marriage take your daughters to Belfast. While also breaking your divorce agreement, and contracts with both Universal and JustJared. Then you're going to parade around with everyone you love, expecting not to be seen by people in the streets of your hometown. Did I forget anything?"

I roll my eyes. "That covers it. I'm not kidding, Evelyn. I'm finished. I want to be with my daughters and Dakota. The three women I love the most."

"Jamie, are you thinking with your head or your cock?"

We're both in a pissing contest and I knew it'd be ugly, but she's going to push me one step too far. "You know what? I've been thinking with my fears and insecurities for way too fucking long. I won't be dragged through the mud anymore, and fuck if I'll drag Dakota with me."

"What do you think they're going to say?" She's literally yelling at me. "You think this goddamn careless picture of you two on a date right before you announce your divorce the following day is going to bode well for her image? Jesus Christ, Jamie, what do you think Robin and I have been protecting your asses from for years? You're willing to throw that all away because you're tired? As am I. Get over yourself. You live together. How much more stretching can you do before this contract ends?"

She stops and I go to intervene, but she's not finished.

"I've let you both breathe." Her tone is softer—still stern. "I know you love each other and have been to hell and back for this relationship, but I can't let you do this. It's PR suicide. You'll hurt her worse than she already is, because they'll come after her. They always drag the woman. Do you really want that, Jamie? You're ready to ruin your lives when we're so close to your freedom? The freedom that you've both begged Robin and me to get you to. Now you want us to gladly accept your proposal of announcing your divorce just because you were caught? Don't do it. We can cover you for this. We can't cover you for the announcement. Not when we've had an agreement with Uni and JJ for years, and paid Amelia way too much money to keep her mouth shut."

I don't know why but I choke on a sudden sob. It surprises us both.

"I get it—"

I cut her off. "No, you don't. And I don't expect you to. You haven't lived through what I have. Losing a mum at 16. Having two older sisters who did everything better than you. A dad who was a super genius while you brought home less-than-average grades. Then the modeling. No one took me serious, even myself. But I was desperate to do something different than my family. I broke into acting and every fucking job I've had has been pure luck. I'm not good at this. I all but ruined Grey for Dakota and Sam. Those insecurities fed right into Amelia's hand. She and her manipulative mother caught me in their web. I didn't think I was good enough for anyone, and she made me believe I wouldn't find someone better than her. I thought she was right. I didn't deserve the good things in life, so I settled. She got pregnant, and I had to do the right thing or risk losing my dad's trust forever."

I take a deep breath as Evelyn listens in silence.

"Then by the luck of the draw I got the Fifty gig. It was going to put my name on the map alongside The Fall, and maybe I'd stand a chance doing what I love for a living. The moment I met Dakota was the moment my old life ended and my new one began. She was everything I'd dreamed of and I knew it in that initial moment. Her hand touched mine to introduce herself and we both felt it. That electric shock they talk about in films and novels. We had that. Our first kiss for the film solidified it as she breathed new life into me. Her kiss still means more to me than any touch I've felt from a person aside from my mum. She sewed my broken pieces back together with her gentleness, her laugh, her teasing, her secrets. She's shared her deepest emotions and thoughts with me. She's what I should've waited for, Evelyn. She's perfect for me. I love her more than you or Robin or Erika or Universal could possibly imagine.

"So no, you don't get it. You don't feel for her what I do. You never could, and that's okay because she's not your fate, she's mine. Which is why I physically cannot play the games anymore. I want the world to know how much this woman has changed my life. I would marry her tomorrow and move her to her dream house in Colorado if she'd let me. I'd give up the dream I thought I wanted for so many years. But acting isn't my dream come true, she is. I can't hide my feelings anymore. I've suppressed them so deeply that they're spilling over. You saw us during Darker—we can't do it. If you won't let me announce then help me figure out how to get through this for a few more fucking weeks."

She sighs and we sit in silence as I wait for her to answer. "You're a great man, Jamie. An incredible father, and one of the good guys. Dakota is exceptional all her own. That's why I can't let you ruin both of you in one swoop. I adore you guys. Robin does too. Let us do our jobs please, and don't act irrationally. Go get your babies and take them to Belfast. Enjoy some time away with Dakota, and being with your aging father. We'll call tonight a work dinner and I'll try to get the images silenced in the big headlines. If Dakota means this much to you then you need to spend quality alone time with her away from Hollywood before this huge ending begins. Because this is it, Jamie. You make it through Freed then you can have her the way you want her. Do we agree to these terms?"

I rub my eyes to quiet my tears and nod to myself. "I guess we do."

"Breathe. You're almost there. Let the payoff be the greater reward."

"Thanks, Evelyn. And I can't even begin to apologize for the number of scares I've given you."

"You owe me an expensive bottle of Irish whisky that I can chug once it's all said and done."

I snort. "Deal."

"Get some rest and have fun with your family."

"Appreciate it."

We hang up and I drop my head to the back of the couch, my tears spilling out of me. I unleashed an emotional mess on her, and God knows she still thinks I'm crazy. No matter how much they try to protect us, they don't get it. No one does except Dakota.

Zepp licks my hand, which makes me smile. I rest my other arm over my face and sob. All of the tension and anxiety inside me for this to end is overwhelming. I still want to announce, but Evelyn is right. We've put too many measures in place to lessen the blow, no interfering. At least she isn't going to force a pap walk.

We need to disappear, plain and simple. I have to figure out how to get my girls to Belfast with Dakota without Amelia being problematic. This makes me cry harder, all these fucking obstacles in my way.

I eventually pull myself together and sit up to check the time. It's early morning in the U.K., but I'm hopeful my dad's internal clock has him awake. I try it, pressing his photo on my phone.

I bounce my knee as I wait for him to pick up, and he does right before the voicemail.

"You okay, son?" He sounds groggy, but with it enough to know it's late in LA.

"Not really, Dad." I sniffle.

"All right," he says. "Let me grab a cuppa and you talk."

I sigh. "Where do you want me to begin?"

"Wherever you're comfortable."

Despite my dad being much smarter and more successful than me, it no longer intimidates my immature conscience. He's been the best sounding board since my mum passed, even when he didn't agree with my choices.

"Dakota and I got caught," I mumble.

"Doing what?"

This makes me chuckle, my tears dissipating. "At dinner. Someone saw us on a date and posted it on Twitter."

"You can't have date night at home?" he asks.

"You sound like Evelyn."

"I know that's not helpful, son, but you have to be more careful."

I chew a hangnail from my thumb. "I get it. But I want to be with her like a normal couple."

"Oh, don't talk crazy now. You'll never be a normal couple, you're both famous."

"I meant going on dates in public. I want to be free with her."

"You're almost there." I can hear him clinking dishes around in the background.

"So I keep being told."

"What do you want me to say then?"

I take a deep breath. "It's fine, Dad. You don't have to lie to me. It's just hard. You loved mum more than anything else in this world, right?"

He doesn't answer for a moment and I worry I've upset him. "Of course, son. She was my soul mate."

"Imagine not being able to tell anyone that for years. You had to hide her, hide your emotions, lie to people about what she meant to you. For literal years. Can you fathom that?"

He sighs. "No, I can't."

"That's what's being expected of me. To silence my love for Dakota even though she's my soul mate. I have to be with her in private and be someone else to the public. This has taken an emotional toll on me, and I'm at my breaking point."

"Don't break," he says. "You're so strong. Stronger than I ever could've hoped to be. You're sensitive, but you hold yourself together when most would fall apart. I admire that. I'm sure Dakota does too. Which means you can't break for her. You can't break for your daughters. You have to hold on just a little longer."

I try to answer, but he goes on. I soak in his wisdom.

"It's my turn for an example," he adds. "Think of it this way. You're in school, working towards something you love. This subject is going to make you happy and successful for the rest of your life. You've busted your bum for it, spent years doing work you didn't enjoy just to get to this one thing. Now imagine deciding to drop out a month before graduation. All of that hard work blown to smithereens. Could you give it up on a stressed out whim?"

I smirk, understanding his academic example. "It would be careless to quit."

"Then don't be careless. You love her. You need her. You want her. Whatever is driving you to that goal, you've almost hit it. Don't stop now."

"Thanks, Dad. I feel better talking through it with you."

"I'm always here," he says. "In person or on the phone. Don't be afraid to ask for help."

His words are almost a plea, and I know he's desperate to see the girls, and me, and even Dakota. "We want to come to Belfast as soon as possible," I say. "Can you help us?"

"Of course. What do you need?"

I sigh. "Get the girls for me. Amelia won't let me have them if she knows Dakota is going."

"You don't think they'll tell their mummy they saw Dakota?"

"It won't matter once it's done. She wouldn't dare step foot in Belfast and cross you or Jess to get them."

He chuckles. "That's true. Let me see what Samina and I can work out."

"They deserve to see their grandfather, she can't keep them from you. And once I'm free to be with Dakota, we will make sure they come often."

"Okay, son. When should we expect you?"

I tap my fingers on my leg, trying to formulate a plan mid-conversation. "I need to find someone who can get us a jet first. We can't be seen traveling together, especially not to my hometown. Maybe Don can help. I don't know yet, but I'll figure it out soon."

"Don's a good man," my dad interrupts to say.

"He's pretty awesome."

"We all need to hit the course sometime. He and Kelley should come here. Bring the boys. The girls can go shopping or something."

I smile at the possibility. "I would love that." Both of my dads on the green with me, Dakota and Kelley shopping with Samina and my sisters—what an ideal relationship. I'm getting ahead of myself...

"I'll tell Amelia you're picking them up since Dulcie's on break, and if you go get them we'll meet you in Belfast."

He doesn't answer for a minute. "This sounds like such an elaborate operation for a man to see his children. Pathetic."

"Yes, it is. I've dealt with her shit for years. It won't be the case much longer."

"Glad to hear it. I'm excited to see you all."

I smile. "Me too. Love you. Thank you for talking me down from the ledge again."

"Son, I'd do just about anything to know you're happy. Love you more."

I shut my phone off after we hang up, wanting to completely disconnect from the world for a while. I'm drained and the only place I want to be is next to Dakota. I've never been more grateful than I am in this moment that she lives here now.

"Bed," I tell Zepp, and he listens, waltzing off to his big cozy dog bed.

Dakota is sound asleep when I enter the room, but that's okay. Quite frankly I'm tired of talking about tonight and what's to come. I just want to hold her.

I crawl in behind her, wrapping my arms around her small frame. She settles into my embrace.

"Goodnight, baby," I whisper, kissing the back of her head.

"Jamie?" she mumbles.

"I'm here." I kiss her bare shoulder. She sighs in what I think is contentment.

She rolls over, her eyes fluttering to ensure I'm really there. "You okay?"

I smile. "I'm fine."

"Are you announcing?" She can't keep her lids open.

"We'll talk in the morning, baby. Go back to sleep."

"Will you sing to me?"

My heart skips multiple beats at her adorable request.

"Absolutely. Any requests?"

She smirks, shaking her head. "Surprise me."

I clear my throat. "Just call my name and I'll be right by your side. I want your sweet helping hand, my loves too strong to hide." I run my fingertip down her arm and she smirks.

"Our song," she mutters.

I peck her lips before going on. "Always lived, very quiet life, I ain't never did no wrong. Now I know that life without you has been too lonely too long."

I watch her features as she relaxes to the sound of my voice. I softly run my hand down her back, pulling her even closer.

"One night with you is what I'm now praying for. The things that we two could plan would make my dreams come true."

I fade out and watch her eyelashes fan against her rosy cheeks. Her button nose is brushing mine as she takes deep breaths in her slumber. What an angel.

"I love you," she whispers, almost startling me. "You're my hero..." Her hushed tone dissipates and I wonder if she's dreaming. Of me? My heart races.

"Oh, sweet girl. You're the one who's saved me. My Wonder Woman. I love you so much more than you know."

I close my eyes and let her intoxicating scent lull me into a peaceful slumber. One that's filled with her beautiful face and laughter, where we're freely in love all the time. Soon.

***

Did I trick y'all ;) Evelyn won't let any form of Plan B happen, bless! Now Plan B becomes Belfast, which I'm super pumped to write/share! Please don't forget to vote and/or comment, xoxo