Episode 156

[Home] [Episode Guide] [News] [Social Register] [Visitor Info] [Interact] [Links] [Credits]

Episode 156

Scene 1:

Adam shrugged, trying to ignore the discomfort he felt looking at the face of the man. "I can't afford anything right now. I moved here for a job and the team-uh, company," he quickly corrected himself, not wanting to advertise that he was in the area exclusively for sports, "was supposed to put me up there until I could afford a place of my own." As much as he wanted to, he couldn't tear his eyes from the man staring back at him, who looked so much like his stepfather.

"Oh I see. Well, perhaps you ought to contact your company then and let them know about their poor judgment in housing," Stephen returned casually. The young man's impenetrable stare was starting to bother him now. It was unnerving to say the least. "Do I know you?" He asked, narrowing his gaze at him. "And forgive me if I'm being rude, but you look familiar and I'd say by the way you're staring that you seem to know me."

"Uh, I...I," Adam stammered and then took a deep breath. "You look just like my ex-step-father. A kind of surreal resemblance," Adam answered, not wanting to ever have to think about Jack again.

"Stepfather," Stephen echoed as the recesses of his mind discovered the memory he'd been looking for. "You're Adam, aren't you? Adam...I'm sorry. I don't know the last name. But your mother was Susan, right?" The kid didn't have to answer for Stephen to know he was right. "Do I really look that much like the old bastard?" He asked his face darkening at the thought. Stephen's father was at best a deadbeat with no interest in knowing or caring about his kid. The only good thing that Jack Morgan had done for him was to let his mother's second husband adopt him and change his name.

Adam's mouth dropped. "Hatcher. And you're Stephen," he said more to himself than the man sitting near him. It was his stepbrother, or ex-stepbrother. The past seemed to always follow him. He bit his lip before answering, "Yeah, you look like him, you just don't have the asshole, piece of dirt quality about you," he said honestly. How, of all places in the world, could Jack Morgan's son be in the same town as his stepson?

"Some people would disagree with you." Stephen's mouth twitched with amusement. "Here, come sit with me. I'll buy you some lunch. God, I can't believe you're here in Conlan's Glen. What the hell are you doing here? The last time I saw you was when Susan married Jack." He had disliked his father immensely, but Susan had been a nice person. Nicer than his own mother at times, he thought dismissing the thought almost as quickly as it had appeared in his head.

"You sure?" Adam asked, feeling guilty about being a mooch on someone he hadn't seen in years, But as Stephen nodded, Adam pushed his bag towards the other table and sat down. "Thanks a lot man. The D.C. United put me up here, or at least planned to. I just signed a pro-contract with them so I can be the soccer player Jack never wanted me to be. They figured I didn't know the area and it was far enough from the city and close enough to make it work. What brought you here? Or is this where you guys moved after leaving Jack?"

"One of the places. We were here once when I was a teen. I liked it." He shrugged as if that was enough of an answer. It was the only answer he actually had at the moment. "DC United? That's pretty respectable, Adam," he said, impressed with Adam's accomplishments. "I didn't realize they were thinking of using Conlan's Glen as a home for their athletes. Or are you the exception?"

"I honestly don't know. I think all of the other guys on the team are pretty much established players living in the city and I was the clueless kid, so they took care of things for me. My agent pretty much took care of it. He's been doing pretty much everything since the Olympics," Adam answered, immediately embarrassed that he mentioned the Sydney tournament.

"Well, he did a pretty shoddy job on that one," Stephen remarked dryly. He tapped his fingers on the table thoughtfully. "Look, I have a huge house. Why don't you come stay with me until you can find something new? You know, you're own place and all. I'm hardly there these days...a lot of things going on for me right now...so you'd have the run of the place really."

Adam bit his lip and flushed a bit, grateful for Stephen's help, but embarrassed about his current predicament. He then shook his head. "No, I couldn't do that. I mean, I haven't seen you in years and it wouldn't be right for me to intrude like that. I'm sure I can find something." And I hate your father, he silently added.

"Suit yourself. At least let me help you find a hotel or someplace to stay until you do find something? It's the least I can do," he added hastily. After all, the kid was basically his brother...okay, step-brother. And how well did he know him? Not at all it seemed.

Adam nodded and before he knew it, he was following his ex-step-brother out of the coffee shop and to a hotel with a giant "no vacancy" sign lit up in front of it. He had no luck anywhere. "I thought this was supposed to be a sleepy town. Aren't you supposed to be able to get hotel rooms in sleepy towns?" he asked after releasing a frustrated sigh.

Stephen couldn't help but grin. "This isn't exactly a sleepy town anymore." He pointed south towards The Drop. "See that? It's my little pet project. I just spent a year redeveloping a huge parcel of the downtown into clubs and restaurants. There's also a hotel that should be opening there. But not in time for you," he added with a wicked grin.

Adam's eyes followed Stephen to the drop, his expression that of surprise. "I'm impressed. I definitely never would have thought you'd do something like that the last time I saw you. Then again, that was 13 years ago." After a moment of silence, Adam looked down at the ground and shifted on his feet. "Are you sure you wouldn't mind me staying around? I'll get out as soon as I find my own place."

"Of course I don't mind. It isn't as if I'm there a whole lot." He pulled out his car keys. "Come on, I'll take you there. I think I even have a paper at home if you want to checkout apartments right away too." He turned toward the parking lot and glanced over his shoulder. "By the way, you might want to fire that manager of yours," he added with a grin.

Adam smirked and dragged his bag back on the way toward his new home. He might not have been settled anywhere yet, but for some reason, he had the feeling that Conlan's Glen might actually work out.

Scene 2:

"You lied," Jory echoed. Ellen had the decency to blush and look away in embarrassment. "Did it ever occur to you that Ian McCormick isn't worth it?"

Ellen's chin jerked up and she glared at Jory angrily. "Don't you ever say that! He is worth it. I've spent most of my life trying to make him love me and now I have him. I don't regret it at all!"

"He doesn't love you, Ellen."

"But I can make him love me! He married me after all," Ellen snapped. "That says something doesn't it?"

"Yeah, that the guy is desperate for a name and a job. He's a self-serving prick, Ellen. What are you going to do when you don't have a baby at the end of nine months? Have you even thought about the consequences of your lie?"

"I don't know yet. But I'll think of something. I don't see why you're so up in arms over this. It isn't as if I've hurt anyone. Are you planning on exposing me?" She asked as an afterthought.

Jory shook his head in disbelief. She really had no remorse for trapping Ian into a loveless marriage. And Georgia's heart was broken over it. "You did hurt someone. Georgia Corelli thought she was in love with Ian. And then you come along and steal him right out from under her. That's cruel Ellen. I should tell her. Ian can twist for all I care."

"Oh whatever. Who cares about that little mouse, Georgia Corelli? She wouldn't have been able to hold on to Ian anyway."

"Who cares? I care. She happens to be a friend of mine and I hate seeing her hurt!" Jory flared.

Ellen's eyes narrowed into small triangles. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you had more feelings for her than just friendship..." She studied his face. "You do, don't you? I don't believe it. You're in love with her!"

Jory's anger deflated at Ellen's words. Was it that obvious? Georgia didn't love him and he could barely make sense of his own feelings. After all, this was the first woman he had ever been attracted to. It was definitely a new experience. He had hoped to keep it to himself until the feelings went away but so far, they were stubborn and remained strong. Jory lifted his eyes to Ellen's deciding not to admit to anything for the time being. At least until he had his emotions sorted through.

"Jory. I'm...well, I'm surprised that's for sure. I thought you were-"

"Yeah. Well, turns out I like girls too!" He snapped.

"Okay, take it easy." She held out her hands to ward off his attack. "I just didn't expect it. So you like her. I can't see why, but that doesn't matter. The fact of the matter is, Jory. You don't want to see her get hurt and I don't want to lose my husband. Aren't we better working together? If Ian finds out I'm not pregnant, he'll probably divorce me. And go straight to Georgia. Do you want that? Do you want to see Georgia married to Ian?"

"No."

"So you won't tell her or Ian about me?"

Jory shook his head again. He would keep Ellen's secret for now. What good would come of telling right now anyway? "No, I won't tell anyone. Your secret is safe for now Ellen. But this isn't going to end well for you. Nothing good ever comes out of a lie," he added sliding out of the booth. "I just hope you don't take me down with you."

Scene 3:

The last box was packed and loaded in her car, ready to be transferred to her new home with Jude. Maura's stomach still flipped with excitement at the direction her life was taking. A year ago, she was having trouble dealing with her feelings for Rick and hiding secrets from him. And now, she was madly in love with Jude and moving into a beautiful house with him. Life for Maura couldn't get much better. She looked around her room, wistfully. If her life couldn't get much better, why was she so sad about leaving? Her whole life had been in this room.

"Ready to go?" Jude asked from the doorway.

She glanced over her shoulder, smiling sadly at him. "I've only lived in one other place besides this room. I'll miss it."

"You can always visit."

"I know. I'm pathetic," Maura replied with a rueful smile.

"No, you aren't." Jude came into the room and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I understand, Maura. This is your home. It always will be. But I hope someday, you'll think of our new house as your home."

"I will, Jude. Really. It's just that...well, I hate leaving like this. I feel like I'm sneaking out in the middle of the night. I wish... Well, I wish that Dad and I were on better terms right now. This wouldn't feel so weird if he were here," she explained. Jude nodded sympathetically, remaining silent. He had his own troubles with his family and understood more than she sometimes gave him credit for. "Well, I guess that's all of it. We should get going."

Luke poked his head into the bedroom. "Hey Maura, wait up a minute before you leave."

"Hey Luke!" Maura brightened at the sight of her brother. "I didn't think anyone was here."

"Just got here," Luke replied nodding a hello to Jude. "Mind if we have a word in private?"

"No problem. I'll just take this last box down to the car and wait for you there," Jude answered. He gave Maura a quick kiss and hefted the box to his shoulder. Maura watched him leave before turning back to Luke.

"He's a good guy, Mo."

"I know," Maura smiled.

Luke dropped down on the bed and patted the space next to him. "Can we talk about something for a minute?"

"Sure. What is it? Is it Liza, still?"

"Oh no," Luke answered reassuringly. "Liza and I are back together-"

"Oh Luke! That's wonderful!"

"Yeah it is. But that isn't what I wanted to talk about. I know that you moving out is what you want to do. It's probably the best decision you've made in a long time. We all think so. Well, most of us. No one's seen Jillie lately to ask her opinion."

"Somehow, I doubt Jillie would care," Maura sniffed.

"Maybe not. But we're still supporting your choices. It's just that...well, Dad thinks he's forcing you out."

Maura raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Well, he's not. Not out of the house anyway. Look, I'm doing this for me for a change. I didn't even consider Dad when I made the decision. He's got his restaurant back and his girlfriend. He doesn't need me," she added dredging up her anger with Kevin and Gina again.

"He does need you," Luke countered. "But he needs to have his own life too. You two were good for each other when you both needed to feel useful. Give him a break, Maura. Gina too. They like each other a lot. And I think it's great that Dad found some companionship. Just...I know you're angry over the Connie's thing. But couldn't you try to make peace with him?"

"There's no war between us, Luke. I love Dad. But I won't have anything to do with Gina Corelli. She's mean and hateful." She folded her arms over her chest defiantly, getting to her feet. "Dad's wasting his time with that woman and I, for one, won't watch him make a fool of himself over her."

Luke stood and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry you feel that way, Mo. Just don't let this problem you have with Gina take you away from Dad. Or the rest of us. Okay?"

Maura met Luke's gaze and nodded seriously. "I won't," she replied patting his hand affectionately. "You guys are the most important thing to me. I won't turn my back on my family. Ever."

Scene 4:

Time. An unnecessary necessity. How many things would she have done differently, given the time and the chance?

Jillie frowned at her reflection in her visor's vanity mirror. Not many. What use was there for regret? Applying another layer of berries 'n' crème flavored pink lip gloss, she batted her long lashes and combed her fingers recklessly through her straight blonde hair. The effect left her looking sexily unkempt. Like she'd just rolled out of bed...and into a pair of tight low-rise bootleg jeans and a pale blue cropped sweater that emphasized her God-given assets.

Sliding out of her seat, she left her car parked in a red zone and purposefully climbed the steps up to the Anthropology building. Hope College's campus was brimming with afternoon activity, and she managed to blend with the student body without catching too much attention. Then again, attracting attention was her forte.

Her feet knew the way to Leo's office without her having to consciously think about it. It wasn't so long ago that these very same steps had led her to the sight of him leaning over a dead body. You didn't
just forget something like that.

Her heels echoed through the emptying halls. She'd left the students behind and now she was surrounded by faculty offices. The overhead fluorescent lights buzzed steadily, the high-pitched hum breaking through her thoughts to become a minor annoyance. She was suddenly flooded with old feelings: the sweaty-palmed anxiety of authority, the heart-stopping thirst for knowledge and new experiences, the sweet anticipation of afternoon meetings with her Photojournalism professor.

A chill ran down her spine, replacing the old memories as she passed Dr. Albert Adams' office. The door was shut, but his name was still etched onto the frosted glass pane. A few yards away, light spilled into the hall from Leo's office. Jillie could hear the loud noises coming from within even before she'd reached the threshold. Once she was standing in his doorway, however, it took a moment for her to realize what she was seeing.

"You can't be leaving."

"Hello to you too," Leo greeted without breaking his stride. He was busy stuffing his papers into boxes, while hundreds of catalogued artifacts were scattered around in seeming disarray.

Jillie stood openmouthed in surprise, following Leo's every rushed move with a jerk of her head. "I know I've been keeping my distance," she sputtered, "but what's with the boxes? You can't just leave! What about Dr. Adams?" She wasn't sure what caused her violent gut reaction. Rationally, she knew that she didn't have a say in what Leo did or did not do. Why should she even care?

But care she did. She was suddenly outraged that Leo was running. What had happened that she didn't know about? Had someone else turned up dead? Had the police found Dr. Adams' body? No, if that had been the case, she'd know about it by now. News in Conlan's Glen didn't exactly move at a snail's pace.

"Would you at least try to keep it down?" Leo hissed, looking over his shoulder to spare her a scathingly brief glance. "I've received a grant to do some major fieldwork," he explained, going back to his packing. "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity. I couldn't turn it down."

She blinked, trying to make sense of Leo's change in demeanor. "Fieldwork?" Jillie laughed in disbelief. "Have you forgotten the part where you're caught up in a murder?" she demanded, her final words little more than angry whispers.

Leo shot her a blank look, but it didn't fool her. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"What the hell?"

"Christ, Jillian. Let it go!" Leo raked his fingers through his hair and clasped his hands behind his neck. Tension radiated from his body, belying his blasé words. "It'll be better for everyone involved if you just forget the last few weeks."

Jillie took a step backward, surprise and confusion swirling in her mind. She'd been the one to put her trust in Leo. She'd offered him an airtight alibi. And now he was cutting her out? Okay, so what if this
was probably a blessing in disguise? Hadn't Jory advised she stay away from Leo Kingston altogether? But since when had she ever listened to good advice?

The gears in her head began to turn and she crossed her arms under her chest, her blue eyes narrowing dangerously. "After everything I've done for you, you think you can do this? What happens if I spill my guts? Huh? What then?" Somehow, she got the feeling she didn't want to threaten Leo right now, but they'd pushed each other up against a proverbial wall. He wanted her to let it go? Well, she wasn't going to do that without some major answers.

"I'll be out of the country before you can do much damage." Leo looked up again, his dark eyes snapping with ire. "Sorry, Jillian, but you're not one of the most reliable sources around town. Besides, if you say a word, you'll only implicate yourself in the process."

"I'm not the guilty one here," she argued.

"Prove it," Leo challenged, tossing a sheaf of papers into a box labeled "RESEARCH".

He wouldn't let her take the fall, would he? Was she going to test him? "You're an asshole, you know that? I can't believe I trusted you."

Leo laughed and leaned against the edge of his desk, finally giving her his full attention. "You didn't trust me, Jillian," he sneered. "You want to know the reason you helped me? Ever since I walked back
into your life, you've been trying to get to me. It kills you that I'm not still under your spell. But that's just it, Jillian. I'm no longer that spineless, naive guy just waiting for the day you'll finally see me. You served your purpose. And now I'm getting the hell out of dodge. Does that do it for you?"

"You just wish I wanted you!" Jillie shouted. But she couldn't completely quell the sting his words caused. Gee, was that her pride being lacerated?

"No," Leo told her, his voice steady, his expression impassive. "I don't. I grew up, Jillian. What did you do? Just look at yourself. You're twenty-eight going on sixteen. To think, I expected so much more of you."

Jillie let her arms fall to her sides, her nails digging into her palms as she clenched her fists. The sound of a voice clearing sent her spinning around, blinded by her anger. Slowly, her vision cleared and the image of a slender woman with long, thick chestnut colored hair, bronzed skin and vivid green eyes swam into focus.

"Professor Kingston?" Jillie recalled the girl. She was one of Leo's undergrad students. She'd been coming on to Leo the day Jillie had taken it upon herself to settle her debt with him. Idly, Jillie wondered if the pretty coed had finally gotten Professor Kingston just where she wanted him.

"Yes, Callie?"

Miss Blake. Callie. That was her name. Jillie mentally snapped her fingers. But her moment of triumph was diminished when the girl sent her a pitying glance and pushed past her into the small office. Obviously, she'd heard the tail end of their conversation. Jillie stifled the urge to break the girl in half.

"Just wanted to drop these off before the departure date. Everything's in there - passport, license, all the paperwork should be complete. I can't wait to leave. I have the feeling this...experience...is going to be mind-blowing."

"And what experience would that be?" Jillie couldn't help but ask. Callie Blake was bouncing with uninhibited enthusiasm. And if she bounced much harder, she just might put someone's eye out with those things, Jillie thought cattily. Hadn't she ever heard of a sports bra?

"The opportunity of a lifetime," Callie smiled, glancing back at the older woman. "Professor Kingston - Leo," she amended with a smile his way, "offered me the chance to spend a semester of study with him in South America. How could I refuse?"

"How indeed?" Jillie murmured.

"Thank you, Callie." He pointedly ignored Jillie's probing gaze as he flipped through the documents the girl had handed to him. "I'll go over your information, just to be safe. Is there anything else you needed?"

Callie smiled, baring two rows of blindingly white teeth. "Just to thank you, again. I know you're putting a lot of faith in me, and I promise...you won't regret asking me to join you. I won't let you down."

Jillie rolled her eyes at the girl's oh-so-obvious come hither tone. Had she suddenly turned invisible? Didn't Callie know it would only take one well-meaning, concerned call to the Dean of Students and they could both could kiss South America bye-bye?

"If I thought that would happen, I wouldn't have extended the offer," Leo assured her with a bland smile.

Callie returned the smile with a playful one of her own before she backed out of the office, leaving a shift of dynamic in her wake. Pulling herself up to her full five-feet-seven-inches, Jillie shut the door behind the girl and leaned against the polished wood, her gaze thoughtful.

"South America, huh?" she asked smoothly. "I thought your area of expertise was Egypt."

Leo's expression turned stoic once more, but he was obviously put on edge by her sudden shift in attitude. "I told you, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity."

"So I keep hearing," Jillie murmured, pushing away from the door as she advanced further into the room. She was onto something. She could practically smell it in the air. Like a lioness tracking her prey, she stalked around Leo's desk until she had him cornered with nowhere to run. "You know where it is, don't you?"

"Know where what is?" he scoffed, turning to busy himself with his papers.

"The diamond. You know where it is and you're going to go find it."

"I told you to let it go, Jillian," he sighed heavily. "What I do is no business of - "

"Like hell it's not!" she exploded. "I'm in this, Leo. Whether you like it or not. And you can be a bastard and dish out all the insults you want to give me, but it's not going to scare me off." Standing up straight, she crossed her arms stubbornly and met his unyielding gaze with one of her own. "I'm going with you."

"No. You're not." The look in his eyes brooked no argument.

Unfortunately, Jillie didn't know how to take subtle warnings. "Yes, I am. You can either bring me with you, or I'll follow you down. You can't tell me you couldn't use a good photographer. And I am
currently out of a job...."

"Not my problem."

"Fine. Following you it is."

"Isn't that what got you into this mess in the first place?" Leo snapped. "You wouldn't be involved at all if you hadn't followed me after the Ball."

"Does that even matter anymore?" Jillie asked rationally. Or, at least she was trying for rational. "Fact is, your friend is still dead. The people you're working for still know I saw the body. And the cops still know we were 'together' that night. If you leave, who's to say I won't be fish food as soon as you're gone? The way I see it, you're obligated to protect me."

The look on Leo's face said he wasn't sure he minded the idea of her being fish food. "That's what I'm trying to do," he ground out finally. "I'm trying to protect you. I feel guilty enough as it is, okay? But you won't let it be. Just stay away from me, Jillian. You had the right idea all along."

"Yeah, I probably did," she nodded agreeably. "But I'm a part of this now. And nothing you say is going to keep me from being involved one hundred and ten percent." She saw the moment his expression began to turn from angry to wary and her heart skipped a beat as visions of South American intrigue filled her daydreams. 'Adventure!' her mind screamed joyfully. A ticket out of the mediocre life she'd established in Conlan's Glen. No Gina, no Kevin, no Rick, and - best of all - no Maura. No one to tell her how she should be living her life. "Please," she begged Leo. "I need this. And I can help! I'm not as useless as everyone thinks I am."

Leo looked ready to turn her down, but the words that came out of his mouth weren't the ones he'd intended to say. "I'm going to regret this, aren't I?"

Jillie flung herself at him and wrapped her arms around his neck, squeezing tightly. "And you thought you could resist me. Looks like things haven't changed so much after all," she teased.

"Don't push your luck," Leo told her. But she didn't see the pained look that crossed his face or the pleading gaze he sent towards heaven.