BALE HOME

Felicia Bale finished looking over the divorce papers her husband, Robert, had provided her as they pulled into the driveway at their home. It seemed as if they were really going through with the divorce Felicia asked for. She wasn't overly happy about it, but there was a feeling of relief that accompanied the divorce.

Felicia would no longer have to live under Robert's constant accusations and insinuations that she was having an affair with Michael Hanley, a man whom no one that Felicia knew was actually her brother.

"How's everything look?" Robert asked.

"I'll have a lawyer go over it," Felicia said. "I guess I'll have to hire a new one."

"I guess so," Robert said, parking the car.

"How does Sara Deveraux sound?" Felicia asked. "The District Attorney?"

Felicia knew Robert hated Sara, after she headed the trial against their son when he accused of murdering Damon Johnson. Robert ignored her comment and climbed out of the car. He pulled Felicia's wheelchair out of the backseat, and then he opened up the passenger's seat to lift her up and put her in the wheelchair.

"Mom!" Alec Bale cried out, opening the front door and finding his parents outside. "Mom, I'm so glad you're home!"

Sara Reynolds, Robert's niece, followed Alec out of the door as well. Once everyone greeted one another, Alec helped his father push Felicia into the house. As Sara closed the car door behind Felicia, she noticed a stack of papers in the passenger's seat.

Sara picked up the papers so she could take them inside to Felicia. But once she reached the door, she looked at the top of the papers and saw that they were divorce papers. Gasping, Sara stormed into the house where Alec, Felicia, and Robert were now in the living room.

"Uncle Robert…Aunt Felicia…what's going on?" Sara demanded, waving the papers around. "Are you two getting a divorce?"



HANLEY HOME

Vincent Moore sat on the edge of his bed, staring at a framed picture of his family. It featured Vince, his sister, his mother, and his father. Back when they were a normal family without a single care in the world. That was before Vince's father died. Before his mother fell in with drugs. Before his sister started dating Matt Holden.

"I wonder if I should move back in," Vince wondered aloud. "My mom probably needs me back at home…with everything that's going on."

"No, you shouldn't," Antonio said, appearing in the room.

"I wish you would stop doing that," Vince said, setting the picture down.

Antonio walked over to the mirror on Vince's dresser and briefly checked himself out. "I'm sorry."

"No, you're not," Vince said.

"You're right, I'm not," Antonio agreed. "But look, you didn't even show up for your uncle's funeral."

"There were extenuating circumstances," Vince insisted.

"Way to go."

"With what?"

"I didn't even know you knew what the word extenuating meant," Antonio said, shrugging his shoulders.

"You really are a jackass," Zaliphyr said.

Zaliphyr spoke from his position at the head of Vince's bed, where he was resting on the pillows. Luckily for Zaliphyr, only Antonio could see him. Otherwise Vince would have used his newfound psychokinetic powers to send Zaliphyr out the window.

Antonio picked up a comb and prepared to use it, Vince waved his hand, knocking the comb back onto the dresser.

"Well, that was childish," Antonio muttered.

While Antonio and Vince argued, Zaliphyr concentrated on slipping into Antonio's body again. Recently, he had found that he was able to possess Antonio for short periods of time. Zaliphyr was hoping that he'd eventually get to take over Antonio's body for good, becoming corporeal again.

A few seconds later, Zaliphyr blinked and realized that he was no longer lying on the bed. He was back inside Antonio. But unlike the previous times, Zaliphyr couldn't move.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Vince demanded.

He glanced at Antonio, who was now standing in the middle of the room as if he were in a trance. Antonio didn't move a muscle; he didn't even look like he was breathing. Although, Vince wasn't even sure that Antonio needed to breathe.

"Antonio?" Vince spoke again.

"Yes, my name is Antonio," Antonio spoke, in a monotonous voice. "Hello, Vince."



MARQUETTE COVE POLICE DEPARTMENT

"I'll make sure we get him put away for good," Michael Hanley said.

Michael was standing next to Vanessa Phillips and Detective Joel Kincaid, and all three were congregated around Joel's desk. They had all just returned to the station after arresting Vanessa's husband, Ryan Phillips, for statutory rape.

"I hope so," Vanessa said. "I don't want a rapist coming anywhere near my son."

"We'll do everything we can, Mrs. Phillips," Joel said.

Vanessa flinched when Joel mentioned her last name, realizing that she was still married to Ryan. Once this entire ordeal was over, Vanessa would make sure that she divorced Ryan as soon as possible.

"But you have to know, we can't legally do anything to Ryan without proof," Joel continued. "Which means we'll need Ryan to plead guilty, or we'll need Alexis to testify against him. Even then, it's not exactly a done deal."

"Trust me," Michael said. "It will be."

"Mr. Hanley, I hope you're not planning to do anything to tamper with this case," Joel said.

"Of course not," Michael promised. "Now, I'm sorry Vanessa, but I must get going."

"It's not a problem," Vanessa said, hugging Michael. "Thank you for being here."

As Michael embraced Vanessa, Joel watched him intently. He knew what the Hanleys were capable of, and he knew that if Ryan didn't get convicted, there was a chance Michael might go after Ryan by himself. That wasn't something Joel could condone, even if Ryan was guilty.

Alexis Lopez slipped into the police station, wearing a dark pair of sunglasses. She had also tied her hair into a bun to keep anyone from discovering her identity while she went to visit Ryan.

He had no idea that she had followed him back from California, and that she was outside of his home when he was arrested by the police. It had taken all of the money she stole from the airport in Fordham Bay, but Alexis was able to get back in town at the exact time Ryan had.

"Don't worry, Ryan," Alexis said. "I'll get you out of here if it's the last thing I do."



EMERALD PARK

Chris Server sat on a bench in the center of the park, with a bag of pot stuffed into his jean pockets. He was only carrying the light stuff today, since he was easing back into the drug selling business. Chris still couldn't believe that he was back into selling drugs after he had gone through so much to leave Quentin Blood's operation.

But Chris had to do this. Whether or not Quentin had engineered Blake's arrest for Damon's murder, he was responsible for clearing Blake's name and getting him off the hook. Chris owed him for that.

He would do anything to save Blake from going to death row. He loved him.

Chris loved him so much that he was now even carrying his gun again. Feeling the cold weapon that was hidden in his waistband, Chris clenched his teeth to keep from crying as someone approached him.

"Hey Chris," Scott Hart, a senior at Marquette Cove High School, said.

"Scott," Chris said. "What can I do for you?"

"You got the stuff I asked for?" Scott asked.

"Yeah, I do," Chris said, reaching into his pocket.

"Wait…you're sure this isn't some entrapment thing with the police or something?" Scott demanded. "Because last time I heard, you flipped."

"Nah, I'm straight," Chris said. "Trust me."

Scott nodded. "Alright."

Chris reached into his pocket and removed the bag of pot he had for Scott. He slipped the bag into Scott's hands, while Scott put money into Chris' other hands. Grinning, Scott thanked Chris and headed off.

He rolled his eyes just as his cell phone began to ring. The phone was actually lying next to him on the bench, but Chris's Starsky & Hutch ringtone was unmistakable. He picked up the phone and answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey Chris," Blake Thomas said.

"What's up, Blake?" Chris asked, moving the phone closer to his face.

"Want to hang out with me and Kelli later?" Blake asked.

"I'm kind of busy right now, but I'll see what I can do," Chris said.

"Busy? Doing what?"

"It's a surprise," Chris lied. "For you."

"Can't wait," Blake said. "Love you, Chris."

"I love you too, Blake," Chris said, hanging up the phone.

Duncan Kincaid trudged to his door when he heard someone banging on it. He had been eating a bowl of cereal and was still wearing only a pair of socks and pajama bottoms. When he opened the door, he found his niece, Julia Mitchell in the hallway.

"Good morning," Duncan said.

"Don't good morning me," Julia said, storming into the apartment. "You've got explaining to do, mister."

Duncan closed the door behind her, laughing. "When did I become Lucille Ball?"

"This is not funny, Uncle Duncan," Julia insisted. "If that's even your real name."

"Excuse me?"

Julia sighed. "I'm sorry…I don't know why people say that, it's really stupid. But look, I want some answers, okay?"

"Okay, shoot," Duncan said.

"You were in jail!" Julia cried.

"Yes, I was."

"For committing a crime!"

"Yes, that's why I was arrested."

"But you didn't do it?"

"No, I didn't," Duncan replied.

"Oh," Julia said, frowning. "Well…okay then."

"Is that all you wanted to ask?" Duncan asked.

"Yes," Julia answered. "I mean…no! That's not all. I wanted to ask you something else, something more important."

"Like what?"

"Why does my father hate you?"

"Because…I had an affair with his wife," Duncan answered. "I'm sorry, Julia. Does that taint your view of your uncle?"

"I don't know," Julia said. "Did you love her?"

"More than life itself."

"Then, I guess it's okay," Julia said, shrugging her shoulders. "I mean — wait! No, it's not okay! That's adultery, it's a sin."

"Do you even have a religion?" Duncan demanded.

"No, but that's not the point," Julia insisted. "Look…is that the only reason he hates you?"

"No," Duncan said. "He hates me for the reason I was arrested."

"Which is?"

"Raping and murdering his wife," Duncan said.



BALE HOME

"How did you find that?" Robert demanded, standing up and grabbing the divorce papers from Sara. "You weren't supposed to see these…they're for a case I'm working on."

"Don't lie to them," Felicia said softly.

"Dad, what's going on?" Alec asked, rising from the couch. "Is this true?"

Robert frowned. "Yes, it is."

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way, honey," Felicia said. "But I don't want to drag this on for any longer than it needs to."

"Why?" Alec demanded. "Is this because of what Michael said at the hospital? Dad, you know that's not true! Mom would never sleep with Mr. Hanley! She wouldn't do that!"

"Alec, your mother is weak now," Robert said. "We should wait to talk about all of this."

"So you can come up with a cover story?" Felicia asked. "Come on, Robert. Tell the kids about how I've been having an affair with Michael Hanley for months. I mean, that is the story you're spinning these days, right?"

"Mom, why are you doing this?" Alec asked. "Why are you two fighting?"

"Ask your father," Felicia said. "Ask him about his new girlfriend, Melissa Maddock."

"So both of you were having affairs?"

"No, Alec," Robert said. "That's not —"

"Go to hell," Alec snapped. "Both of you can just go straight to hell."

Alec ran over to the door and stormed out of the house. Robert didn't bother to call after his son, while Felicia sat helplessly in her wheelchair. She turned to look at Sara and forced a smile.

"Honey, I'm sorry about all of this," Felicia said. "It's just…this is a very difficult situation."

"Is this how you ended up in the wheelchair?" Sara asked. "When Melissa was at the hospital…is she the reason you're in the wheelchair?"

Felicia remained silent.

Sara turned back to face Robert. "And you slept with her?"

"Sara, I can explain," Robert insisted.

"Explain it to my father," Sara said. "Because I can't even look at you right now, Uncle Robert."



MARQUETTE COVE POLICE DEPARTMENT

Ryan Phillips angrily kicked his cell door as one of the guards locked him inside. He had just been booked and was now waiting in jail until a bail hearing, or at least until he could get in touch with a lawyer.

"Hey, don't I get a phone call?" Ryan demanded.

"You'll get one when you get one," the guard snapped, exiting.

As he walked down a long hallway and left the area where the holding cells were, the guard failed to notice as a young woman slipped past him and into the hallway. The woman removed her sunglasses and shoved them into her purse before approaching Ryan's jail cell.

"Ryan!" Alexis cried. "I'm here to get you out of jail!"

"What?" Ryan demanded. "What the hell are you talking about? What the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm here because I want to help you," Alexis insisted. "I love you, Ryan."

"You love me? You got me arrested, you stupid bitch!"

"Ryan, what are you talking about?" Alexis demanded. "Vanessa is the one who arrested you. I told you she wasn't the right woman for you."

"You're fucking nuts, do you know that?" Ryan asked. "You're insane."

"Ryan, I'm in love with you!" Alexis shouted. "Why can't you see that? Why do you keep insisting that you're not in love with me?"

"How did you get in here?"

"I just walked in," Alexis said. "Please, like the Keystone Cops know the meaning of surveillance."

"Get out of here, Alexis."

"No, Ryan," Alexis snapped. "I'm here to help you. Why won't you let me help you?"

"I'm sorry," Ryan said. "I'm…I'm overreacting. Come over here and give me a kiss."

Alexis grinned and approached the cell so that Ryan could kiss her, but he surprised Alexis by grabbed her around the throat. Ryan began to choke Alexis while baring his own teeth at her in a twisted smile.

"I'm going to kill you, you little bitch," Ryan growled.



HANLEY HOME

"What's going on with you?" Vince demanded.

Antonio didn't respond.

"Antonio…do you know where you are?" Vince asked.

"I am in the Hanley mansion," Antonio responded. "I am talking to Vincent Moore."

"Okay, this is too goddamn weird for me," Vince muttered, walking away from Antonio and turning on the radio by snapping his finger. It took a deal of concentration, but he liked using hand movements to accentuate each power usage.

Vince swore when his favorite song ended just as he turned the radio on. The station went directly into a news report. He waited to hear what it was about before he changed the station.

"Marquette Cove teenager, Blake Thomas, has been released from prison after the real culprit in the Damon Johnson murder case came forward to confess to the crime…" the reporter began.

"Whatever," Vince said, changing the station.

He didn't want to think about the murder case right now, especially since Vince still had so many memories of when he and Damon used to be friends. That is, before Damon turned into Matt's best friend and drug addict to boot.

"Blake Thomas," Antonio said. "Now that you've killed him, you have to finish with the process. Resurrect him."

"Huh?" Vince spun around to stare at Antonio. "What did you just say about Blake?"



DUNCAN KINCAID & KIMBERLY BLACK'S APARTMENT

"Oh my God," Julia gasped. "You…you…you're a rapist?"

"No, I'm not," Duncan said. "I was exonerated."

Julia backed away from Duncan and began to pace in the kitchen. She had no idea what to say to Duncan right now. She could have handled it if he had gone to jail for murder, or larceny, or theft. But murder and rape…it was too much for her to take in.

"Julia, you have to believe me," Duncan said. "I was cleared. I didn't hurt your father's ex-wife."

Julia attempted to respond to his comments, but she was utterly speech. For the first time she could remember in recent history, she was without speech.

Fortunately, the uncomfortable silence was interrupted by an uncomfortable banging on Duncan's door. Duncan walked back over to the door to open it. "Why can't people ever knock normally?"

As he opened the door, Gregory Black rushed inside with a cold glare on his face. He didn't notice Duncan at first and looked around the apartment wildly.

"Where the hell is he?" Greg demanded.

"Who are you talking about?" Julia asked.

"Duncan Kincaid," Greg said. "My sister's new roommate."

"I'm right here," Duncan said, revealing himself. "What's up, Greg?"

"You goddamn psycho!" Greg exclaimed, lunging at Duncan and punching him in the face. "You're a rapist, and you think you're staying with my sister?"

Greg punched Duncan in the face again, sending him flying to the floor. Greg began to kick Duncan repeatedly in the side.

"I'll kill you first, do you hear me?!" Greg cried. "I'll kill you!"



MARQUETTE COVE POLICE DEPARTMENT

"Ryan, let go!" Alexis cried out.

She dug her fingernails into the side of Ryan's face and scratched him, causing Ryan to scream in pain. He released her from his grip, causing Alexis to drop her purse onto the floor. While Ryan nursed his scratches, Alexis found herself getting dizzy.

"Oh God, what's happening to…" Alexis gasped.

"If I take off the gag, will you promise not to scream?" Alexis asked.

Allison tried screaming again, prompting Alexis to grab her around the throat and press the knife against her skin.

"Will you promise not to scream?" Alexis repeated.

As more tears began to form in Allison's eyes, she reluctantly nodded. Alexis smiled and removed the gag from Allison's mouth. Once the gag had been removed, Alexis pulled the knife away from Allison's neck.

Allison used this opportunity to try screaming again. Angry, Alexis shoved the knife into Allison's arm, then twisted it while it was inside of her, causing Allison to scream in agony even more.

"I don't like being lied to," Alexis said.

"My baby," Alexis cried. "My baby's dead!"

"Of course your baby's dead!" Ryan cried. "You got a goddamn abortion!"

"My baby…what happened to my baby?!"

Alexis hurried out of the hallway, leaving her purse contents behind. She was too concerned with finding her child. Her child couldn't possibly be dead. She had to find Allison and make her tell the truth.

Her baby wasn't dead. It couldn't be.



HANLEY HOME

"You can do it, Blake," Antonio continued. "Bring your brother back to life."

"Wait…what the hell?" Vince demanded. "What are you talking about?"

Antonio didn't respond.

"Have you been talking to Blake?"

"Yes," Antonio replied. "I have been talking to Blake. So has Zaliphyr."

"Who's Zaliphyr?"

"A demon," Antonio said. "The demon who helped Blake resurrect his brother."

Vince gasped. "Michael Thomas?! He's alive?"

"Yes," Antonio said. "He's back from the dead."

"No fucking way," Vince said. "That's…that's impossible."

Vince walked away from Antonio, attempting to process everything he had just heard from them. He couldn't have possibly heard what he thought he just heard.

"You're wrong," Vince said. "This is ridiculous. You're like, Manson lamps tripping right now."

"No, I am correct," Antonio insisted. "Michael Thomas is alive."