"Here we are," Michael says.

A television screen rests in the back of the bookshelf. Michael has a clear view of the secret laboratory that rests beneath his mansion. The lab where Michael kept Sean Moore prisoner after faking his death and erasing his memory.

Standing in the lab is Felicia, Michael's sister. Lying on the operating table next to her is Robert, her ex-husband. Michael sighs deeply and turns away from the screen.

"This is the worst possible scenario I could have imagined," Michael mutters. "I can't...I will not kill my own sister."

"What else are you going to do?" Riley asks. "Keep them prisoner down there?"

"Perhaps." Michael raises an eyebrow. "Although, possibly unnecessary. I need to rewind this recording. Perhaps they haven't actually found anything."

"Sounds like wishful thinking," Riley says. He goes to the controls for the video screen and rewinds the footage. After some time, the video rewinds to much more than Riley or Michael need to see. "Fucking retards. Who in the hell has sex in a place like that?"

Michael grins. "People who love providing us with the perfect opportunity for blackmail."


MARQUETTE COVE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

"He deserves to die," Damon says. "You stop Jack from talking."

Chris looks at Jack Atlas, still lying in a hospital bed, but ready to spill everything about his and Chris' scheme to break up Blake and Jack's current boyfriend, Darren Reynolds.

"Jack, you can't give blood to save Blake's life," Chris hisses. "You're HIV-positive. I'm not gonna to let you —"

"Shut up, Chris," Jack snaps. He focuses his attention on Darren. "I'm so sorry, Darren."

"About what?" Darren asks, confused.

"I'm HIV-negative," Jack answers. "I've been...I lied to you when I came to Marquette Cove two years ago. I pretended to be HIV-positive so you'd stay with me. After that, it all just spun out of control...I didn't want to lose you. So I kept lying."

Damon laughs. "That's some creative ass spin."

"Shut up," Chris says irritatedly.

"No, let him talk," Darren says, assuming Chris is speaking to him. "I want to hear all of this."

"I faked my tests. The treatment. Everything."

Darren's eyes widen, filled with rage. He grips the edge of Jack's bed, unable to speak.

"Darren, I'm so —"

"Don't you dare apologize to me," Darren snarls. "Don't you dare fucking apologize! Two years, Jack. You've been lying to me for two years? About something so serious, so intimate? You're disgusting."

"Go ahead, weasel your way out of this," Damon whispers to Chris.

"You're right Darren," Chris says, nodding. "Jack is disgusting. But what's important is that now we can save Blake's life."

Before Jack can respond, the door opens. Vincent Moore slips into the room and rests his hand on Darren's shoulder. " Dr. Anderson is still waiting for some sort of tests to see if Blake can have the transfusion...but things aren't looking that good, Darren."

"He can have the transfusion," Jack says softly.

"Huh?" Vince asks. "But I thought —"

"It's fine," Darren says. "I have to go and get Dr. Anderson." Darren hurries out of the room.

"What in the hell is going on in here?" Vince demands, staring at Chris and Jack. "What are you two up to?"

"Mind your own fucking business," Chris says. "Why aren't you laid up in Jessica's room trying to steal her away from Alec again?"

Vince rolls his eyes. "I'm sorry, are you still in high school?"

Jack grabs Chris' arm. "Jessica's room? She's here?"

"She's in a coma," Vince replies. "Someone attacked her, we don't know who. But Alec found her and..."

"Oh God," Jack gasps. "That's why...that's why I was going to see Darren in the first place. To tell him about Alec."

"What about Alec?"

"I'm pretty sure he's been abusing Jessica, and he's been having an affair with Farrah Louis," Jack answers. "If Jessica's in the hospital...he's the one to blame."

She glances over at Natalie and Melissa. Both women return her gaze with mild disdain. She wonders if they know the true nature of her relationship with Alec. If they don't know, they at least have to assume.

"I need a drink," Farrah mutters.

"You'll need more than that when I'm done with you."

Farrah turns to find Vince staring at her. His stare makes her nostalgic for mild disdain.

"Vince," Farrah says. "How's it going? It's been forever, hasn't it?"

"Alec's been hitting Jessica?" Vince asks. It's more of a statement than a question. Farrah doesn't immediately respond, but her eyes tell Vince all he needs to know. "Answer me!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Farrah insists. She looks around for an immediate exit, but Vince grabs her arm. "Vince! Let go."

"How long have you been fucking Alec?" Vince demands, gripping Farrah's arm tighter. "How long?"

Melissa and Natalie finally take notice of the scene. As Vince repeats his question louder, Akilah and Julia emerge from Jessica's room.

"Vince, what's going on?" Akilah asks.

"Farrah's got explaining to do is what," Vince snaps.

"Vincent, leave her alone," Melissa says.

"Tell me how you long you've been Alec's mistress," Vince says, continuing his line of questioning. Everyone is surprised by Vince's question. But the only expression on Farrah's face is fear. "Tell me, you stupid bitch! Was it before the wedding? Did he fuck you on his honeymoon?"

"All right!" Farrah shouts. She can't take it anymore. Her claustrophobia kicks in and she breathes heavily, still unable to break away from Vince. "I've been sleeping with Alec!"

"And he beat her, didn't he?" Vince demands. "Alec is the reason Jessica's in that coma! Isn't he?!"

"Yes! Yes, okay?" Farrah cries, unable to fight back her tears. "Alec is the reason Jessica's in the hospital! He attacked her!"

Vince finally lets go of Farrah and storms away from the group. He waves away Julia and Akilah as they try to stop him. Farrah, horrified, stares at the women in front of her.

"I'm sorry," Farrah says quickly. It's the only thing she can manage to say. "I'm sorry...I'm just so...so sorry." She races to the stairwell and doesn't look back.


BLAKE THOMAS' ROOM

"This is all my fault," Darren says, wiping away the tears on his face. "If I hadn't broken up with you when Jack came back into town, none of this would have happened."

Darren knows he can blame Jack for the lies, but it was Darren who thought Blake wouldn't be mature enough to be in a relationship with Darren if he had HIV. He's the one who pushed Blake away and slept with Jack before the results even came back.

"I never should have let you go. I guess I did it because I was afraid of being in love with you. I mean really in love with you, like I'd never been in love with anyone before."

As Darren talks to Blake, he doesn't notice the door open slowly. Aaron Maddock pauses when he notices Darren and hangs in the doorway, listening with it slightly open.

"I still love you," Darren says. "And when this blood transfusion goes through...I'm going to tell you that when you wake up. And maybe you'll be willing to listen."

Aaron closes the door and leans against it, anger forming on his face. He angrily grips the doorknob as Eric Hanley approaches the room.

"Who are you?" Aaron demands.

"I just came to tell Darren that Dr. Anderson is about to start the transfusion," Eric says. "I'm a...an old friend of Darren's. Do you know Blake?"

"He's just, he's one of my patients," Aaron says quickly.

Eric nods. "Oh, I see. You screw around with all of your patients?"

"Excuse me?" Aaron demands.

"Please, I know a fag when I see one," Eric insists.

"You keep your mouth —"

Eric ignores Aaron and peers through the window in the door. He sees Darren sitting next to Blake's bed. "I wish that little bitch would die. Then Darren and I could pick up where we left off."

Aaron frowns. This young man seems slightly unbalanced. "Keep the death threats to yourself."

"When Blake gets through all of this, maybe you should work on keeping him away from Darren," Eric says, matching Aaron's gaze with a devious one of his own.

"And perhaps you should do the same with Darren," Aaron offers.

"Perhaps we'd do well to trade notes," Eric says, extending a hand. Aaron apprehensively takes his hand. "Cider."


HANLEY HOME

"Shut up, I think I hear something!" Felicia Bale hisses, shutting up Robert. She goes toward the door to the secret lab where they're currently trapped and leans against it. She can hear footsteps approaching them. "Someone's coming!"

Robert leaps off the operating table he's been perched on for the past hour and joins Felicia at the door. They've been trapped in the room for what seems like a month, but Robert knows that it's only been a couple of days. During that time, he's wondered where his wife has been and why she hasn't sent out a search party.

"I wonder who it is," Robert says. "Knowing our luck, it's probably..."

The door unlocks and swings open, revealing...

"...Michael," Robert finishes.

"Hello friends," Michael says softly, keeping his emotions in. He closes the door behind him as he steps in. "How are you?"

"That's what you're going to ask us?" Robert demanded. "We find a secret lab underneath your mansion and that's what you have to say?"

"How could you, Michael?" Felicia asks. The sadness in her voice strikes Michael like a baseball bat to the head.

"How could I what?"

"You kept Sean prisoner down here!" Felicia cries. "Did you kill him, Michael? Did you have him killed and then do something to his body? Why are there files with his name on it down here? Why are these files dated around the same day that car exploded in his driveway?"

"Who cares, Felicia?" Robert asks, groaning. "We're going straight to the police to have Michael thrown in jail. The police can figure out what the hell he did."

"Technically, I've done nothing illegal," Michael says, shrugging his shoulders. "However, you two...I don't know how Melissa will view your continued adultery, Robert."

"Excuse me?"

"You two had sex in here," Michael snaps. "And so, while Riley disinfects the labs, how about we have a conversation upstairs about who's going to be telling what when they leave this mansion."


MARQUETTE COVE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

"It's not as if she can see the sunlight anyway," Akilah mutters from her seat across from the bed.

"Akilah, try and be a bit more pleasant," Kelli says. "We're here to keep Jessica company while Vince and her mother deal with..."

"Having Alec arrested and thrown in jail for the rest of his life?" Julia offers. She stands near the door, glancing outside to see Vince, Natalie, and Melissa talking to two police officers.

"What happened to innocent until proven guilty?" Akilah demands.

"Can we not flashback to you being obsessed with Alec?" Julia asks. "Because that was, is, and will always be gross."

Kelli laughs. "Agreed."

Akilah narrows her eyes at Kelli. "And how long is it until you leave for your study abroad session in wherever?"

"I leave in less than a month," Kelli answers. "For South Africa."

"I hope you throw a going away party," Julia says. "I mean...something fun happening around here would be nice change of pace."

"Speaking of fun," Akilah says, raising the magazine in her hands. "Who wants to audition for The Blackthornes with me?"

"What's that?" Kelli asks.

Akilah and Julia shoot her bewildered looks.

"Do you not watch TV?" Akilah asks. "They're shooting the second season of The Blackthornes in Chicago this summer."

"It's only the best TV show ever," Julia says. "I mean, it's so ridiculous and over the top, but it airs after Gossip Girl on the CW, so what else do you expect?"

"Plus, Tristan Radtke is pure sex," Akilah says, sighing. "I'd watch his smoking hot French ass in anything."

"Oh brother," Kelli mutters.



"Is that him?" Officer Jackson, the male officer, asks Vince as Alec exits the elevator holding a bouquet of flowers.

"Yeah, that's him," Vince says, breaking away from the group and approaching Alec.

"Vince," Alec says. "Thanks for watching over Jessica, I guess. But I'm back, so I guess —"

Vince's only response is a sucker punch to Alec's jaw. Alec cries out as he falls to the floor. The flowers he's holding fly out of his hands and spill to the floor with him. Before Alec can even respond, Vince pounces on him and punches him in the face again.

"You put Jessica in the fucking hospital!" Vince shouts, rage in his eyes. Part of Vince is angry with Alec for attacking Jessica, but subconsciously, he knows that part of himself is taking out his frustrations with Michael and his father on Alec. Finding out the truth about Jessica has only made his horrible week worse. "Say something you fucking bastard!"

"Vince, stop!" Darren cries, appearing from the nearby hallway. He pulls Vince off Alec as the police crowd Alec and lift him to his feet. "Vince, what the hell are you doing?"

"He attacked Jessica!" Vince cries. "He's the reason Jessica is in that damn coma!"

Darren stares at Vince in shock, then turns to Alec. Alec remains silent and despondent as blood drips from his nose and splashes onto the floor. Officer Jackson pulls out a pair of handcuffs as his partner reads Alec his Miranda rights.

"Alec Bale, you have the right to remain silent..."