"I'm packed," Vincent Moore said, descending the staircase and turning on his iPod. While his sister and mother were struggling with their suitcases, he dropped down and sat on the stairs and waved to one of the maids to pick up his bags.

"Vincent, come and get your own bags," Leslie Hanley, Vince's mother, snapped. She wheeled her suitcase toward the door and kissed her husband as she reached the threshold.

The Hanley home had been filled with an unusual amount of activity that morning as Leslie and her son and daughter began packing for a family vacation to New York City. Vince and Akilah wouldn't be starting classes again for another week while their winter break was still in effect, so Michael had surprised the family with an impromptu vacation.

Leslie, for her own part, believed that some of Michael's motivation for the trip was to keep her mind off the recent argument she'd had with his sister and her former best friend, Felicia Bale. Felicia had accused Leslie of marrying Michael with the ulterior motive of pinning some involvement in her first husband's murder on him. Leslie admitted as much, but she'd forced Felicia to remain quiet. Perhaps it was some remembrance of when they used to be closer, but Felicia had seemingly kept her word.

She hadn't, however, stopped Felicia from clueing Michael in to the fact that she'd been snooping in his office. But Leslie had been able to easily explain that away. As she tried coming up with a cover, Michael surprised her with vacation plans — either a sly move on his part to keep her away from the skeletons in his closet or a genuine gesture. Leslie had yet to decide which one it was.

"Vince!" Leslie repeated, raising her voice this time.

"I can't hear you," Vince mouthed silently, referring to his iPod. Leslie folded her arms and narrowed her eyes at him, quickly prompting her son to turn off his music and scurry down the stairs.

"You're so easy," Akilah whispered to her brother as he approached his suitcase.

Though Felicia was insistent that Leslie needed to be truthful with Michael, Felicia soon found her foot in her mouth when she discovered a secret panel in her brother's study leading to a hidden laboratory. And all because she'd knocked over a chair in a fit of anger.

She leaned over to pick up the chair, accidentally bumping one of the legs into something hard underneath the desk. Felicia was startled as she heard a loud cracking noise behind her. She spun around to find that the bookshelf in Michael's study was sliding to the right...revealing an entryway behind it.

Inside, she discovered an operation table and folder with Sean Moore's name on it. Felicia was still unsure as to what it all meant, which is why she was waiting for Michael to leave for the airport. Once he was gone, she would be able to return to the laboratory and discover exactly what was going on.

As Felicia waited edgily, she silently hoped that her worst fears were wrong. That Michael hadn't been involved in Sean's death six years ago. But unfortunately, she had this nagging feeling that her suspicions were incredibly correct.

"I don't take kindly to being summoned," Robert said with an irritated tone.

"Then it's a good thing I don't give a damn about pleasantries with you, isn't it?" Valerie Hanley-Holden asked, finally arriving in the visitation room and picking up a telephone receiver to speak to Robert through the glass window separating them.

"What is it that you want, Valerie?"

"It's simple," Valerie said. "I want you to represent me in my appeal."

Robert could hardly contain his laughter. It was loud enough to draw stares from several guards, as well as other the visitors and inmates.

"It's not that funny," Valerie snapped.

"Isn't it?" Robert asked. "Why in the hell would I help you with your appeal, Valerie? I hate you. If I cared at all about your fate when you were sentenced to nine years in prison for arson, it wouldn't have been remorse crossing my mind, it would be the desire to throw a party."

"Aside from the fact that you owe me after what you've done to my sister —"

"Get off your high horse about Valerie," Robert said, interrupting. "I'm not going to take a scolding about my past infidelity from a woman who had her own son locked up in an sanitarium."

Valerie coolly took in Robert's insult and allowed her lips to curve into a wicked smile. "I'm not talking about your continued infidelity. I'm talking about something much more illegal. Something that might even be grounds for...having your license revoked? Being disbarred? Even more public shame associated with the Bale name? Oh, the possibilities are endless."

Robert clenched his teeth. Valerie couldn't possibly be referring to what he was assuming — something that had transpired between them nearly three years ago.

"No snide retort?" Valerie asked, leaning in closer to the glass panel. "Is it because you're having a sudden flashback to when you willingly altered Kevin Hanley's will at my request in order to cut your ex-wife out of his will?"

Robert gripped the phone in his hands as his eyes widened and his entire face went white. She was referring to exactly what he feared.

"You already made your mistake, Robert. Not even a morning after pill would abort it now," Valerie cooed, setting the phone down temporarily to wipe a strand of unruly hair out of her face. Completing her task, she picked up the phone again and stared directly into Robert's eyes, unwavering. "Now then. Let's talk about how you'll also be waiving your fee...you know, as a favor for a friend."


MARQUETTE COVE COUNTY COURTHOUSE

Darren took a deep breath and returned to his defendant's table. He sat in his seat and waited for the prosecution to decide whether or not to question Aaron's testimony on the ability of Karl Matthews and James Kingston to emotionally raise James' biological son. Darren glanced over his shoulder and saw his boyfriend, Jack Atlas, seated in the row behind him.

"No further questions, your honor," the prosecuting attorney announced.

"All right," the judge announced. "I'll be back shortly with my decision."

The judge rose from his chair and exited the courtroom. Jack walked toward Darren and rested his hands on his shoulders.

"A backrub is exactly what I could use right now," Darren said.

"I figured," Jack said, leaning forward and kissing his cheek. "How do you think you're doing?"

"Yeah, how do you think we're doing?" James asked, leaning past his partner.

"Good," Darren said. "We've presented a great case. Now it's just up to the judge."

"I'd die if those bastards got custody of Graham," Karl muttered.

James patted Karl on the back. "Calm down, honey." He glanced over at his ex-wife's parents, who were consoling one another. He couldn't tell whether or not they were under the impression they were winning or losing.

"I need some water," Darren said. "I'll be right back."

Darren stood and walked to the door. He opened it just as Blake Thomas walked through.

"Blake."

"Hey, I'm not too late, am I?" Blake asked. "I wanted to see you score some points against your Uncle Robert."

Darren grinned. "We'll see." He hugged Blake. "Thanks for coming."

Aaron watched pensively as Darren and Blake embraced. If he'd bothered to glance over at Darren's boyfriend, he would have noticed that he and Jack were sharing a very similar expression.


HANLEY HOME

He climbed out of the car and approached the front door, noticing something odd. A woman dressed in black with a scarf wrapped around her head. She wore large sunglasses while opening the front door.

"I'd recognize that ass anywhere," Robert said, bemused. "Felicia!"

The woman spun around in surprise and stopped when she saw Robert. She angrily removed her sunglasses.

"Robert," Felicia said. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Catwoman," Robert sad. "Are you sneaking into the mansion? Don't you practically live here?"

"Michael is out of town with Leslie and the kids," Felicia said. "I'm house sitting."

"Nice try," Robert said. "He has a staff to take care of his mansion."

Felicia angrily folded her arms. "You know, you still haven't told me what you're doing here."

"That's none of your business, Ms. Hanley."

"You are such a son of a —"

Felicia stopped speaking when a limousine pulled up to the driveway. The driver opened the door for a young blonde woman that Felicia immediately recognized as Ariel Hanley, her niece.

"What is this? The Homecoming?" Felicia grabbed Robert by the arm and dragged him into the mansion, out of Ariel's view.


ALEC BALE & DARREN REYNOLDS' PENTHOUSE

"I've been waiting for you all day," Jessica said, removing Ben & Jerry's ice cream from the freezer. "You're my new best friends."

She checked her watch to make sure she still had time before she needed to pick up Phillip from Melissa and Robert's. With more than an hour to spare, she decided to kick back with an America's Next Top Model marathon on VH1.

Before she exited the kitchen, Jessica heard a loud moaning sound. She stopped in her tracks, her spoon dangling from the edge of her lips and listened intently.



Alec Bale pressed Farrah Louis against the wall of his bedroom. He kissed her neck and slowly unbuttoned her shirt. "We don't have a lot of time, Jessica will going to be home from work soon."

"You know I always like it nice and easy," Farrah said, almost cooing. "But I guess this time we can do it nice and rough."

Alec took off his belt and unbuttoned his jeans. As Farrah mounted him, still with her back against the wall, Alec closed his eyes and let his mind wander. It was exhilarating to finally be thinking about something besides his marital problems. Or those nightmares he kept having — nightmares he couldn't even be positive were based in fact. None of his therapy sessions had been able to uncover anything as of yet.

That loss, that desperation is what made Alec call Farrah in the first place. And soon enough, she became his escape. His way of not having to deal with the present. She was a reminder of the wild, carefree life he had back in high school.

"Oh, Alec," Farrah gasped. "Harder!"



Jessica's face froze in horror at what she was witnessing. "Oh my God! Alec!"

She set her ice cream on the edge of the counter and stared at the laptop Alec had left in the kitchen. On the screen, a video was playing of two women having sex with a rather large object between them.

"Well, I sure know the gays weren't looking at this," Jessica said, angrily closing the laptop.



"Alec, what's wrong?" Farrah asked. Alec had suddenly stopped.

"I just heard Jessica," Alec said. "She's home!"

"Oh God," Farrah said, climbing off Alec. She slipped and fell onto the floor, scrambling to grab her clothes. Alec did the same and ran to the window, opening it wide.

"You're going to have to climb down the fire escape," Alec said.

"Oh, you've got to be fucking kidding me."

Alec rolled his eyes. "Adultery ain't exactly glamorous, sweetie."


HANLEY HOME

"Look who slouched back into Bethlehem."

Ariel turned her head slightly and saw her brother, Eric, entering from the kitchen. He was eating from a large bag of chips.

"Eric!" Ariel said. "It's so good to see you!"

Ariel smiled widely and approached her brother, who lowered his chips with a grin. Before he knew what happened, she swiftly kicked him in the groin. Eric cried out in pain and fell to the floor.

"What in the hell?!" Eric cried. "What did you do that for?"

"You know what the hell I did that for!" Ariel cried. "You and I were both being held captive for ransom. And all of a sudden, you swindle your way out of it! And just left me behind!"

"I figured you'd be fine on your own!" Eric snapped, still clutching his privates. "And I was right!"

"You're a son of a bitch," Ariel said, stomping on the fallen bag of chips.



"What are you looking for?" Robert demanded, following Felicia as she rifled through the desk in Michael's study.

"You'll see," Felicia said. She was reluctant to pull Robert into her search for answers, but her desire to find out exactly what her brother was hiding was stronger than her desire to keep Robert out of her business. "Maybe it's down underneath the..."

Felicia crouched down and slapped her hand repeatedly on different areas of the floor. Soon enough, her hand hit a button. She heard a loud crack and turned to see the wall sliding open, just as it had the previous day.

"There we go."

"What the hell?"

"Just follow me and shut up you gaping idiot," Felicia said, walking through the unlit passageway. After a few moments, Robert finally followed her into the darkness.


MARQUETTE COVE COUNTY PRISON
VISITATION ROOM

"Must be the press again," Valerie said, joking good-naturedly. Having no idea who was here to see here, Valerie was stunned to find Simon Holden, her husband, sitting on the other side of the glass. "Simon. This is a surprise."

"I'm not here to see you," Simon said. There was not a single emotion visible on his face. "I brought someone else to see you."

Valerie saw another person step into view. It was her son. Matt Holden. She couldn't even say his name, the words couldn't escape from her lips.

"Surprised?" Matt asked.

"I...I wasn't expecting..." Valerie said, her voice trailing off until she focused a glare on Simon. "What is the meaning of this?"

"I brought our son home," Simon said. "From the West End Psychiatric Facility in London. Maybe you've heard of it?"

"I don't have anything to say," Valerie said.

"Don't worry mom," Matt said, resting his hand on his father's shoulder. "I'm fine. And I forgive you."

"What?"

"I talked it over with my non-biological father," Matt said. "And I want to just forget about it all. I'm home now, and I'm fine. I'm not leaving again."

"If the problems you had before are still —"

"I think we need to focus on your problems, mother," Matt said. "Arson. That's a tough rap. You're going to need your supportive family. In case of an appeal."

"Matt —"

"That's all I have to say," Matt said. "But I forgive you."

Matt forced a half-smile and turned to exit. He removed a pack of cigarettes from his jeans pocket. As he walked through the door, he ran smack into a man in a dark blue suit.

"I'm sorry," Matt said, glancing up and realizing that this man was familiar. "Graham Hansen. You're —"

"Oh...I'm your mother's attorney," Graham said.

"Of course," Matt said. "Running in with great news?"

"Actually, yes," Graham said, a smile appearing on his face. "There's a chance your mother may be able to get off on a technicality. No more jail time. How exciting for you."

Matt froze. "What?"

"I said —"

"No, I heard you," Matt said. "I was just hoping...say, Graham, you still doing pot with Stacy Adams? Man, I remember when I used to stop by and sell you a few ounces so you and Stacy could just get high and fuck each other's brains out. What is she...a senior now? Just turned 18?"

Graham didn't respond. The beads of sweat on Graham's forehead told Matt all he needed to know.

"I don't think my mother needs to get off on a technicality," Matt said. "Incarceration builds character. And she needs a lot of character."

Graham nodded slowly.

"I was on my way out," Matt said. "You can follow me, if you'd like."


HANLEY HOME

"Just what I feared," Felicia said, picking up documents that were stacked on a nearby table. "Michael had...Michael had something to do with Sean's death."

Robert narrowed his eyes. "What?"

Felicia handed him one of the documents. "Look at these dates. The name of the files. It's Sean's name, and these dates are during the time Sean died. And look at all of these restraints in here...oh my God."

"You don't think Michael had Sean killed, do you?"

"I don't know what to think," Felicia said. "Maybe Michael will have answers if I —"

"Are you kidding me?" Robert demanded. "You've got secret passageways, secret labs, secret documents...all of that adds up to a big ass secret that Michael obviously wants to keep secret. We need to talk to Leslie. And the police."

"The police?! We don't know that Michael did anything wrong!"

"His last name's Hanley, what other kind of evidence do you need?"

Felicia angrily shook her head. "That's nice, Robert."

Robert sighed. "You know what I meant. Either way, we need to get the hell out of here until we can make sense of all this."

"Agreed," Felicia said, nodding.

She tucked a few of the documents under her arm and walked toward the door. She tried opening it, but it seemed to be stuck. It wouldn't budge. Robert laughed. "Let a man handle this, honey."

Felicia shot Robert her middle finger as he reached for the doorknob himself and try to let them out of the lab. It still wouldn't budge.

"What's going on?" Robert asked.

"I don't —" Felicia dropped the documents she was carrying and tried once again to get the door open. "It won't open! Robert, we're locked inside!"