YORK HOTEL
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

"There's nothing to know, Vanessa!" Ryan Phillips cried, continuing his argument with his pregnant wife, Vanessa. She was seated on the couch, staring off into the distance with a pained look on her face. She was ignoring him, as usual. "Honestly, Vanessa — you're always accusing me of something I haven't done!"

"Ryan…" Vanessa gasped, grasping her stomach.

"What?"

"I think…I think my water just broke," Vanessa said.

"I didn't even touch your damn water!" Ryan shouted. "Why are you — oh my God…do you mean…"

"Yes, Ryan!" Vanessa cried. "I'm pregnant, remember? And I'm giving birth right now!"

"Oh God…" Ryan's voice trailed off.

"Ryan, I have to get to goddamn hospital!" Vanessa shouted.

"Right!" Ryan said. "I'll call a cab, right now."

Ryan rushed to the table where the phone was resting and picked up the receiver. But as he did, the room began to shake slightly. He paused for a moment, glancing around the hotel room.

"Did you feel that?"

"Feel what?" Vanessa demanded.

In response, the room began shaking once more, only more violently this time. Ryan and Van

essa exchanged glances, realizing exactly what it was. They were in San Francisco, it was obvious — an earthquake had just hit their hotel.

"I'm in labor!" Vanessa cried. "I cannot do a goddamn earthquake!"

Ryan tried to dial a number on the phone, but he slipped on the carpet and went crashing into the door. He fell to the floor with a whimper.

"Ryan?"

He didn't respond.

"Ryan! Get up!" Vanessa cried.

He remained still.



BLOOD HOME

Chris Server stood outside Quentin Blood's house, after receiving a call to meet Quentin there immediately. Chris had previously been at the police precinct, with his friend Kelli Anderson to visit his boyfriend, Blake Thomas. Blake had been arrested for murdering Damon Johnson, a classmate of theirs who died a year ago.

But Chris knew that Blake was innocent and he was hoping that Robert Bale, Blake's lawyer, would be able to get him out of jail. But now, Chris had just received a call from Quentin, informing him that his former boss held the key to releasing Blake from jail.

Now Chris wanted to know what involvement Quentin had in Blake's arrest.

"If he's responsible for Blake's arrest, I'll kill him," Chris said, steeling himself as the door opened.

Once the door was cracked open, he came face-to-face with Quentin.

Quentin grinned. "How prepared are you to stand by statement?"



EMERALD SQUARE

Duncan Kincaid removed the cigarette from his lips and blew a cloud of smoke into the air. He was sitting outside the Emerald Café, attempting to read a Dan Brown novel. However, he was becoming increasingly irritated with the novel and hoped something would come along to distract him before he had to go take a look at the apartment he was thinking of renting in town.

Once he finished another chapter that ended in a cliffhanger, yet wasn't resolved at all in the next chapter like a boring, one-note soap opera, Duncan closed the book and stood up to leave.

"God, if I weren't an alcoholic already, I'd be one after reading that piece of crap," Duncan muttered, turning to enter the café to get something to drink.

As he did, he ran into a young girl, causing her to spill the contents of her purse onto the floor. She swore under her breath and bent over to pick up the purse. Duncan quickly apologized and tried helping her, until he recognized who the girl was — it was his niece, Julia Mitchell.

Duncan grinned at her, causing Julia to become uncomfortable. She stood up and clutched her purse tightly, backing away from him.

"Julia, it's so good to see you!" Duncan exclaimed, standing as well.

"Who the hell are you?" Julia demanded.



BALE HOME

Melissa Maddock rang the doorbell to her law firm partner's home, waiting for him to answer the door. She knew that he was had been at the police department earlier, talking with Blake Thomas. But she hoped that he was at home now, since she had taken the liberty of picking up old files on the Damon Johnson murder case for him.

When there was no response, Melissa sighed loudly and prepared to leave when a car pulled into the driveway. It was Robert's car.

Robert parked the car and climbed out, smiling once he saw Melissa. "Hey there."

"Hi Robert," Melissa said, trying to balance the large box she was holding. "I picked up some stuff for you. On the Damon Johnson murder…so I could help."

"You didn't have to do that," Robert said, walking up to the front steps and taking the box from her.

"I know," Melissa said. "It's just that…we haven't really been able to talk since last week."

"Not since we…"

"Exactly," Melissa said. "And I didn't want to leave things in the air. I'm not…I'm not a homewrecker, Robert."

"I know that," Robert said. "It was all my fault, I knew what I was doing when we…"

Robert paused and glanced around the front yard.

"How about we talk about this inside?" Robert asked.

"I was thinking the same thing," Melissa said. "I mean, to talk. That's what I was thinking about."

"Could you get my keys from my pocket?"

"Sure," Melissa said, digging into Robert's pants pocket to find his keys.

Their eyes met when she grabbed onto something. "Not my keys."

"Oh," Melissa gasped. "I didn't…"

"No, it's another set of keys," Robert laughed. "You're in the wrong pocket."

"Sorry," Melissa apologized.

Melissa retrieved Robert's house keys from his left pocket and used them to unlock the door. As she walked inside, Robert followed her and set the files down on the floor, closing the door with his foot.

"So look, we should talk about this," Melissa said. "I don't want to ruin your family…I don't want to hurt your son…or your wife."

"Really?" Robert asked, grabbing Melissa. "Because I do."

Robert pulled her into a kiss.

Akilah Moore sat on the steps of the high school, now waiting for Julia to arrive there. She had been late meeting Julia at the Emerald Café, so she called Julia to tell her that she would meet her at the school library instead. She hadn't had a chance to inform her that she was late because her mom was back home.

As she sat there, someone she didn't recognize at first sat down next to her. Startled, Akilah turned to her left and saw that it was Alec Bale.

"Alec!" Akilah cried. "What are you doing here?"

"Had an AP Chem final," Alec said. "The only sophomore in the class, and the upperclassmen take their exams a week early."

"That explains it," Akilah said, smiling.

It had been a while since she'd seen Alec, but seeing him again made all her feelings for him rush back into her mind. She had been secretly harboring a crush on Alec for years, but had never been able to get him to notice her.

Now, it seemed as if things were even more hopeless since he was dating Jessica Reyes, who seemed to be making a point of keeping Alec away from Akilah's family. All because she held some sort of grudge against Akilah's brother, Vince, when Jessica was the one who went after Vince's best friend behind his back.

"How's it going?" Alec asked.

"Great," Akilah said. "My mom is back in town. Again."

"Wow, really? That's amazing, Akilah!"

"Yeah, she's talking to Vince now about his latest bonehead mistake," Akilah told him.

"Moving in with Mr. Hanley, I presume."

"A deal with the devil," Akilah muttered. "That man hated our father, he's tried to make our lives a living hell at this school since he's the Dean of Students, and now my own brother is living with him."

"I don't know what he was thinking," Alec said.

"Things haven't been the same since you two stopped being friends," Akilah said.

Alec was silent for a moment. "We're still friends."

"No, you're not," Akilah said. "I'm not stupid, Alec. I can see that you two hate each other. It's all Jessica's fault."

"Don't blame her, Akilah," Alec said. "It's no one's fault. Vince and I…people grow apart."

"You can't trust her, Alec! She lied about my brother attacking her so she could get him sent to jail."

"No, she didn't," Alec snapped. "Your brother's messed up right now, Akilah."

"Then why did Jessica drop the charges?"

"Mr. Hanley forced her mom to," Alec said.

Akilah didn't respond.

"Guess you didn't know all that, did you?"

Akilah stood up. "She's not good for you, Alec."

"And neither is Matt Holden for you," Alec said. "Or have you forgotten your own deal with the devil?"

Akilah glared at Alec, realizing that he wasn't acting jealous over her relationship with Matt, but he was looking down on her for it. "Yeah? Well, where's Jessica now, Alec?"

"At work," Alec said. "She has a summer job now. It teaches responsibility."

"And after that, is she going to stop by and see Vince? Console him about losing his uncle?" Akilah demanded. "Because that's what she's been doing all week, in case you haven't noticed. I can't count how many times she's been over at the Hanley mansion to see her ex-boyfriend. Someone who she supposedly hates — someone she claimed attacked her."

"What?" Alec demanded, shocked by what Akilah was now telling him. "You're making all that up. Jessica would have told me if she'd been hanging out with Vince all week."

"Well, well, well," Akilah said, smirking. "Guess you didn't know all that, now did you?"

Akilah adjusted the single-strap backpack that she was wearing, then turned around and headed inside the building. Alec sat alone on the steps, wondering if she had been telling the truth — and if she was, what that meant about Jessica's feelings toward Vince.



MARQUETTE COVE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

Hearing a knock on his door, Dr. Aaron Maddock called out for whomever it was to enter the office. When he glanced up, Aaron saw Simon Holden entering the room.

"Hello Aaron," Simon said.

"Simon, what can I do for you?"

"I was thinking about that idea we started talking about a while ago," Simon said. "About opening a practice together?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Aaron asked, spinning around in his chair to face Simon more clearly.

"I think it might be a good idea to talk about over lunch. Are you free this afternoon?"

"I'm free now, if you are," Aaron said.

"Excellent," Simon said. "I'll meet you in the cafeteria."

"Sounds like a plan," Aaron said, as his phone began to ring.

Once Simon left the office, Aaron picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Aaron."

Aaron's eyes widened when he recognized the voice on the other end.



MOORE HOME

"I can't believe you hit me," Vincent Moore said, now sitting on the couch in the living room.

His mother, Leslie Moore, frowned at Vince from the seat next to him. "It was for your own good, Vincent. Now, let's head over to Michael's house so we can get your things."

"I'm not moving out, mom," Vince insisted. "I like staying with Michael."

"Oh, you're calling him by his first name now? I don't think so," Leslie said. "What kind of manners did I teach you, Vincent?"

"Stop calling me that!" Vince cried, rising to his feet.

"Why? It is your name," Leslie reminded him.

"You only call me by my full name when you're mad at me," Vince said. "But you don't have a right to be mad at me, mom! I left after you were gone. After what Derek did to you."

"You know about that, huh?"

"Yeah, I do," Vince replied. "I know a lot of things. I know that I wanted Michael to kill Derek for what he did to you…for what he did to dad. And he did."

"Oh God, Vince," Leslie said. "You know about Derek killing your father?"

"Yes," Vince said softly.

"Vince, I am so sorry you had to find out about that," Leslie said. "I'm sorry that you had to go through all of this alone. But please…please tell me that you didn't order Michael to kill your uncle. Because I can't handle my son being a murderer."

Vince turned away from his mother. "I'm sorry, mom. But I can't do that."



YORK HOTEL
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

Passing through the hallway when the earthquake struck, Anita Johanassen heard Vanessa crying out. Once the earthquake subsided, she knocked on the door to see what was wrong. It took a few moments, but Vanessa finally dragged herself over to the door and opened it.

"Are you okay, ma'am?" Anita asked, pushing back strands of light blonde hair.

She was dressed in a sports bra and running shorts, since she had been planning to run on one of the treadmills in the hotel gym before the earthquake.

"No, I'm not," Vanessa gasped. "I'm…I'm giving birth."

"Oh my gosh!" Anita cried. "Where's your husband?"

"He's unconscious," Vanessa said.

"What? He's sleeping when you're giving birth?" Anita demanded.

"He got knocked unconscious by the earthquake!" Vanessa shouted. "Stop asking so many goddamn questions!"

"Oh my," Anita said, staring at Vanessa in shock. "Don't say the Lord's name in vain!"

Vanessa rolled her eyes. "I'm so very sorry, miss. But I'm in labor, my husband is lying on the floor unconscious, and not saying the Lord's name in vain is the last thing on my mind!"

"We'll have to call the hospital," Anita said. "Have them send an ambulance. I don't think we'll be able to get a cab so soon after the earthquake."

"I can't wait for an ambulance," Vanessa snapped. "This baby is coming out — now!"

"Well…my mom is a trained midwife, and I've seen her give birth a few times," Anita responded, in a southern drawl that irritated the hell out of Vanessa. "I'll help you give birth!"

"How grand," Vanessa muttered.



EMERALD SQUARE

"You don't recognize me?" Duncan asked Julia, incredulously.

"From what?" Julia demanded. "The registered sexual offenders list?"

"Huh?"

"Get the hell away from me," Julia said. "I'll scream if I have to. My dad is a cop."

Duncan frowned. "And I can't believe he's never shown you any pictures of me."

"Yeah, that's a shame," Julia said, attempting to leave.

Duncan grabbed her arm to stop her. "Julia, wait!"

Julia whirled around, punching Duncan in the face. "Let go of me, you dingbat nutjob!"

Duncan cried out, as patrons in Emerald Square began to cast glances at them. Some people seemed to already be reaching for their cell phones to call the police. They seemed like nice enough people, but they really weren't helping at the moment.

"Julia, it's Duncan! Your uncle!"

Julia paused momentarily. "Wait…what?"

"I'm your Uncle Duncan," Duncan explained. "Joel's brother?"

"Oh God, Uncle Duncan!" Julia cried, rushing to Duncan to hug him.

No, this won't look awkward to the nosy coffee drinkers at all, Duncan thought to himself.

"I'm so sorry," Julia said. "I didn't…I didn't recognize you. I still don't, kind of. When did you get all old and slightly attractive? And start listening to the Dead?"

"I don't listen to the Dead," Duncan snapped. "I'm a Coldplay person."

"Don't they play elevator music?"

"No," Duncan said. "It's good to see you, Julia."

"You too, Uncle Duncan," Julia said. "I'm supposed to be meeting a deadbeat friend of mine who's always late, however, so I've got to run. But…we'll talk."

"Okay, do you want my —"

"Cell phone number?" Julia asked. "Yeah, hold on."

She reached into her purse and removed a small piece of paper to write on. She then removed a pen and wrote down Duncan's number, then gave him her own. She smiled at him and said goodbye, then turned and left.

"Quite the right hook," Duncan muttered, rubbing his jaw. "Takes after her father."



MARQUETTE COVE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

"Hugh, what do you want?" Aaron demanded, surprised that Hugh Rogers was calling him at his office.

"I'm calling about the debt your cousin, Melissa, owes to me," Hugh said.

"I know, Hugh, but Melissa can't repay you," Aaron insisted. "Which is why I paid you off back when we lived in —"

"Aaron, I'm not interested in what you may have paid me before," Hugh told him. "What I'm looking for is repayment from Melissa, and I hear she's a prominent lawyer these days. It's time for her to pay the piper."

"She…she doesn't have any money," Aaron stammered.

"No," Hugh snarled. "I don't believe you."

"She's a lawyer, yes," Aaron said. "But she's not a rich one, Hugh. I'm the one with the money in the family, so if you want something, just get it from me. Leave my cousin alone, don't let her know you're here in Marquette Cove."

The other end of the phone went dead.

"Hugh?!" Aaron called into the phone. "Answer me, dammit!"



MOORE HOME

"Vincent, answer me," Leslie said, staring at her son with a frightened expression on her face. "Tell me you didn't have a part in killing your uncle."

"No, I didn't," Vince said. "I don't even know if Michael did, but I hope to God it's true. He deserved to die."

"Not by anyone's hand but God," Leslie insisted. "He should have spent the rest of his life in jail."

"He took dad away from us," Vince said. "He took my dad away, and he deserved to die. Just the way dad did. If my dad isn't alive because of him, then he sure as hell doesn't deserve to be alive either."

"Have you…have you told Akilah about this?"

"No," Vince replied. "I didn't want her to know."

"Good," Leslie said. "I don't want Akilah to know that Derek is responsible for her father's death. Not now, anyway."

"I won't tell her," Vince said, standing.

"Now, about you moving out —"

Vince shook his head. "I can't do that. I can't live in this house right now…it has too many memories, mom."

"Your family is here, Vincent," Leslie said.

"I said no," Vince said, walking toward the door.

"Vincent Demetrius Moore, come back here!" Leslie cried.

Vince ignored his mother, opening the front door and stepping outside. That place may have been his home in the past, but now it was only a memory he desperately wanted to forget.



BALE HOME

Felicia Bale pulled into the driveway at her house, parking her car next to her husband's. She noticed another car there, and realized that she recognized it as Melissa's. Felicia turned off the car and wondered why Melissa was at the house.

"Probably working on some case," Felicia said, unlocking her door and climbing out of the car.

She slammed the car door shut and started toward the house.

"What was that?" Melissa asked, while entangled in a bedsheet with Robert.

"I think I heard a car," Robert said, climbing out his bed without bothering to use a sheet to conceal his naked body.

He looked out his bedroom window and saw that Felicia's car was parked in the driveway. His face fell as he turned back to Melissa. "It's Felicia!"

They both hurried to get dressed and downstairs, before Felicia could enter the house and discover them in the bedroom.

Felicia reached the front door and reached into her pocket for her keys, realizing that she didn't have them in her pocket. She didn't want to ring the doorbell and disturb Robert if he was working, so she returned to her car where she had to have dropped them.

Felicia peered inside her car and saw the keys resting on her seat, but when she tried opened the door it was locked.

"Shit," Felicia grumbled.

Luckily, the passenger's window was slightly open, so she walked around the side of the car and slid her arm inside to unlock the door. Once she did, she opened the door and grabbed her keys from the driver's seat before slamming the door shut and hurrying back to the front door.

On her way there, Felicia glanced into the window that led into their living room, where she saw what looked like Robert and Melissa fixing each other's clothes. Felicia brushed off the image and walked to the front door, which as it turned out, hadn't been locked.

Felicia announced her presence as she entered the foyer. "Robert?"

She found Robert and Melissa sitting next to each other on the living room couch, going over a stack of files resting on the coffee table. Next to the stack of files, was a large cardboard box. They had been working after all.

"What's going?" Felicia demanded.

"Working on a case, Felicia," Robert snapped. "Did you need something?"

Felicia didn't respond. She couldn't detect if Robert was hiding something, or if he was treating her to the same attacks he had been displaying for months since she began to defend Michael Hanley against Robert's constant criticism.

"Well?" Robert continued. "We're rather busy."

"No, I didn't," Felicia said. "I don't need anything at all."

She turned away from them and headed into the kitchen to run the water in the sink. She turned it on full blast so that they wouldn't be able to hear her crying in the living room.



BLOOD HOME

Chris igorned Quentin's challenge. "Why did you call me here?"

"Please, come in," Quentin said.

"No," Chris snapped. "I'm fine here. Tell me what you want."

"I want to offer you a chance…for Blake to have his freedom."

Chris glared at Quentin. "Did you do this to Blake? Did you frame him for murder, you bastard?"

Quentin ignored Chris' insults and smiled at the teenager. He crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway, still shrouded by the darkness in his home to make himself seem more threatening to Chris. But Chris wasn't about to back down.

"Join my organization again, and I'll grant Blake his freedom," Quentin said.

"Go to hell," Chris said. "You can take your offer and go directly to hell."

"I don't think it would be wise to antagonize me, Christopher."

"The full name is Chris," Chris replied. "You never did understand that."

Chris turned away to leave.

"I'll be here when you're ready to accept my offer!" Quentin called after him.

Quentin laughed, watching as Chris left and wondering how long it would take the teenager to realize that accepting Quentin's offer was his only option.