"Have a good ride?" Guy calls down to John from the hayloft.

Leading the horse into the stables, John has returned from his regular morning outing and feels refreshed by the heavy morning air. "It was great." John shouts up to his brother-in-law.

Leaving the conversation at that, John bolts the horse in and starts to head out of the stables until he sees Isabelle walking towards him. She is dressed casually with little make up, accentuating the lines of worry on her face.

"I want to talk to you." She demands arrogantly unaware that Guy is in the hayloft.

"We don't have much to talk about…unless you want to ask for forgiveness."

"Like hell I do." She makes her intentions perfectly clear. "I want you to tell me if Lauren has said anything. She's still barely talking to me."

"Are you really surprised?" John scoffs.

Isabelle ignores the comment. "What can I do to patch things up?"

John raises an eyebrow, "Go back in time and try not to interfere in our marriage?"

"Very funny."

"Look Isabelle. The only way Lauren is going to forgive you is if I do. And as yet…you haven't really given me cause to have you?"

Isabelle's face twitches slightly as she feels the indignity approaching. "So?"

"Maybe if you apologize to me and I forgive you, I can put a good word in for you and everyone will be happy again." John smiles widely, enjoying the power he is wielding over the woman.

"I'm not going to apologize to you!" She spits.

"Fine." John replies cavalierly. "It's your loss." He begins to stroll away with his hands in his pockets and whistles, waiting for her to stop him. His prediction is correct.

"Okay." She shouts out after him before continuing meekly. "I'm sorry."

"Nah." John shakes his head. "That's not good enough. You have to say you are unbelievably sorry for the hurt you have caused and will go out of your way to accept me as part of the family. You were embarrassingly wrong and I am an honest, loving husband."

Tension fills the air and Isabelle is unaware of Guy's muted laughter in the stables. She looks to the ground but realizes that this is the only way out of her predicament. "Right." She takes a deep breath. "I am unbelievably sorry for the hurt I have caused and will go out of my way to…"

"Accept me…"

"Accept you as part of the family. I was…embarrassingly wrong and you are an honest, loving husband." Isabelle puts a hand to her throat to stop herself from choking on her words and awaits John's reaction.

"Beautiful." He claps his hands excitedly. "I forgive you mom. Can I call you mom?" A narrowing of eyes makes John realize that he may have overstepped the mark. "Alright Isabelle. I'll talk to Lauren for you."

"Thank you." She clears her throat and walks briskly past him, acutely embarrassed by the situation she managed to get herself into.

San Francisco General Hospital: San Francisco

"How did it go?" Amber coughs as Tommy enters her room and he sits beside her making little noise. The drapes at the window are closed blocking out sunlight as the strain on Amber's eyes is too great.

"The sessions have been good. The counselor told me that she thinks I'm ready to have the test this morning."

"Thank God." Amber rolls over and starts to choke violently. Tommy jumps up and shakily pours a glass of water which he holds to her trembling lips. She sips it weakly and some dribbles down her chin which he cleans up with a paper towel.

"Are you okay now?" He is concerned.

"Yes. Thank you."

"I'm so frightened." Tommy clenches his fists and puts them to his eyes as Amber reaches over and strokes his hair.

"If you have it…and it's been detected early enough...there is medication…drugs to control the disease." She takes her hand away. "You'd live for years."

Tommy nods, fighting back tears which he knows would be a sign of selfishness.

"And if you don't have it…" She continues. "Then don't leave me. Because I'm frightened too."

Outside in the hallway Michael taps Donna on the shoulder and she swings round with a start, playfully punching him on the shoulder. "Hey!" She exclaims. "You frightened the life out of me!"

"I'm sorry." He kisses her cheek delicately and she moves her head round until her lips brush against his. His body stiffens as she takes him by surprise and then she pulls away.

"Now. What did you come here for?"

"I wanted to ask you out on another date."

"Ooo tell me it's another family gathering. I loved the last one." Donna chuckles.

"No we're not having another one of them anytime soon." Michael smiles. "It's up to you. What do you wanna do?"

"I could cook you something." She replies. "At my place."

"Sounds good to me."

"Great. Pick me up here at 8." She notices his attention has waned and he is staring into one of the rooms. "What's the matter?" She asks.

"That's Tommy."

"Your niece's boyfriend?"

"Uh huh. Who's he visiting?"

"Amber Lake. She's an AIDS patient. It's pretty sad actually. She's a very sweet girl. But she got a liver infection and…well…she hasn't got long left." Donna bites her bottom lip and hugs her clipboard close to her body as she informs Michael of the girl's plight.

"That's awful." Michael replies suspiciously and makes eye contact with a panic stricken Tommy who has turned round to see the pair of them. "I wouldn't wish it on anybody."

Pacific West Industries: San Francisco

The guests for the opening move around the offices, nodding approvingly and gasp at the breath taking, open plan foyer which is graced with a wall of glass looking out onto the city. As usual, the weather is fine, and the room is filled with sunlight.

Light music can be heard distantly in the background, slightly marred by general conversation and caterers move around with trays of champagne glasses which seem to be disappearing at an alarming rate.

Greg looks on proudly at his work, relieved that it has managed to come together in such a short amount of time. Where is she? He thinks to himself. He glances around the room but can't see Isabelle and is accosted by a business associate.

The doors of the elevator open and Isabelle steps out into the foyer, surprised by the vast number of people. She takes a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and watches Greg who is standing on a podium, talking busily to associates. She doesn't know many people here and moves around inconspicuously.

"Isabelle." Adrienne taps her on the shoulder, nearly spilling her champagne.

"Oh. Good morning Adrienne. Travis." She nods politely and he smiles back. "It's quite impressive isn't it?" She moves her eyes to look at the high ceiling.

"Yes. My father has good taste. Perhaps you could learn a thing or two." Adrienne sips her champagne and smiles wickedly, hoping that she has managed to get to her father's lover.

"Is that so?" Isabelle looks at Travis who is watching the ground uncomfortably.

"Absolutely. Do you remember my father's house in London? My mother decorated it beautifully. You must remember what good taste she had."

Isabelle seethes with anger and grips harder on the stem of her champagne glass, "I remember a lot of things Adrienne. And one of them is not to involve myself with scum sucking parasites. Please excuse me." She starts to walk away but hears Adrienne calling out after her.

"I'm not going to let you marry him!"

"Oh." Isabelle spins around, smiling knowingly. "It comes down to that again does it? I should have seen the underlying message in your not so subtle comments."

"I'm not trying to be subtle. I want you to know that there is no way I'm going to let you get your hands on my father. You'll break the engagement if you know what's good for you."

"And you'll keep your nose out of business that doesn't concern you…if you know what's good for you."

Adrienne glares angrily at Isabelle as she walks away and turns to her husband. "Can you believe the nerve of that woman?" She hisses.

"Take it easy. You started it. Why can't you just stay out of it?"

"Oh dear." Adrienne sighs dramatically. "I'll make you see sense eventually."

Flight 648 to Los Angeles: San Francisco

"Excuse me!" Brooke pushes her way down the galley, dragging her hand luggage behind her. "I said excuse me!" She makes her way through as disgruntled passengers squeeze up against the seats.

"You took your time." Mark comments as Brooke pushes her luggage into the over head compartment and drops down into her seat with a sigh.

"Those damned airport workers don't have a clue what they're doing. What is this? Economy?"

"No." Mark laughs. "But I think the plane is quite full today. They're probably over stretched."

"Over stretched my…eye." Brooke disagrees. "If the stewardesses actually bothered to get a decent education, they wouldn't be stuck in a dead end job."

"Back to your old self then?" Mark grins at her warped view of things.

"Yes." She calms down and taps on the arm rest with a long, painted finger nail.

"I'm sure you'll be glad to get home. You can do more charity work and get your life back to normal."

"For Morgan." She whispers.

"For Morgan." Mark agrees reluctantly and takes Brooke's hand in his. He is more relaxed with her now that she does not seem to remember their past together but he still finds it difficult to keep the truth from her.

"You know, I may have been a bad mother. And I may not have known Morgan all that well, but I think I'm starting to make things right."

"Yes you are. You should be proud."

"And Morgan?"

Mark fights back the urge to slam her daughter. "Yes. She'd be proud too."

Pacific West Industries: San Francisco

"David!" Julia smiles with gritted teeth as he walks towards them and scowls when he gets nearer.

"Hello Julia. Are you going to introduce me?" He looks at the couple who are standing by her side.

"Yes of course. David this is Greg's daughter Adrienne and her husband Travis Wilder."

"Pleased to meet you." David takes Adrienne's hand in his and bends down to kiss it.

She laughs as Julia frowns, "Charming aren't you?"

"I hope so." David has enough time to shake Travis's hand before Julia yanks him away.

"What are you doing here?" She demands frostily and keeps her eyes on the Wilders who are watching carefully.

"I came to spy on you. And check out the competition of course." He glances in Greg's direction.

"There is no competition David. It's over. I already told you."

"We'll see won't we." He turns away as Julia downs the champagne that is in her glass and quickly grabs another one from a waiter.

"So Travis." David leads him away by his arm and Julia is left to make polite conversation with Adrienne. "You're a lawyer too."

"I am indeed." Travis laughs. "What I did to deserve it I don't know. What kind of law do you specialize in?"

"Corporate. You?"

"The same but I've been know to dabble. We'll get on well. You don't know of any associate positions open in San Francisco do you?"

"Let me have a think about it." David replies, his mind already whirring at the possibilities.

Wheeler Estate: Napa Valley

"Donna! I'm so glad you could come!" Constance shuts the door behind her newly arrived guest and follows her into the drawing room.

"So am I. It's very nice to see you again Mrs Abrigore."

"Thank you dear. Do sit down."

Donna places her purse on the coffee table and seats herself at an overstuffed leather chair opposite the older woman who is perching delicately on the sofa. Donna places her hands in her lap waiting for Constance to cite her reasons for the invitation.

"Oh I'm sorry." Constance smiles, almost reading her mind. "I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I suppose you want to know why I invited you. My doctor in London needs somebody discreet to keep in contact with over my medication and what not. I have a condition you see and I know that if I go to the hospital, it might leak into the papers. You were my only hope."

"Condition?" Donna seems puzzled.

"I've got pancreatic cancer Donna. I have done for some time now."

"Oh gosh I'm so sorry. Michael never told me…"

"That's because Michael doesn't know yet. You can break the news to him if you would like. I've been keeping it a secret so that my daughter does not find out. She's got enough worries."

"Of course." Donna nods her head in understanding. She disapproves but does not feel it would be appropriate to voice her concerns. "Aren't you under going chemotherapy? Or other treatments?"

"No." Constance answers her. "It's not operable. Sometimes I get a little jaundiced…you see the tumor is blocking my bile duct. But I take medication to control it and pain killers too. That is all I really need from you. I can give you the name of my doctor so he can give you the details."

"Please do." Donna moves to the sofa and pats Constance's back reassuringly. "I'm so sorry Mrs Abrigore."

"So am I. But that's life isn't it?" Constance smiles weakly, fighting back the mental and physical pain that is consuming her inside.

Palace Hotel: San Francisco

"Get that one down you!" David exclaims as he slams the whiskey glass down onto the bar. He and Travis are sitting on stools and have been for at least an hour. The effects of the alcohol are already setting in.

"Thank you." Travis takes in a deep breath and puts the glass to his lips, consuming most of the contents in one go.

"That's it." David thumps Travis on the back and he puts the glass down, choking slightly from the burning sensation.

"This was a good idea."

"I know. Leave the women to do their thing. You know your wife is very beautiful Travis. You should be proud."

Travis takes another sip of his drink. "Yeah. Proud. I would be if she even knew I existed."

"Bad marriage?" David turns on his stool, intrigued.

"You could say that. She spends most of her time chasing after her father. You know, we haven't had sex in two months."

"Two months!" David shouts out and gasps. His outburst is met with disapproving glances from other customers who start to whisper, having heard most of the conversation.

"Yes that's right. Two months. I've been wondering if it's time I started looking elsewhere. Are you married?" He inquires and looks down at David's wedding band.

"Haha. Not any more. My ex-wife…is in a mental institution!"

Travis spits a mouthful of his scotch and starts to laugh uncontrollably. David follows his lead. "Did you drive her insane?"

"She didn't need any help from me." David chuckles.

"God, and I thought my life was eventful." Travis sighs.

"Stick around." David replies. "You ain't seen nothing yet."

San Francisco General Hospital: San Francisco

Tommy enters the sparsely decorated room and does not respond to the doctor's attempts to put him at ease. He looks at posters adorning the walls, all pointing out the dangers of unprotected sex and needle sharing. But would he have taken any notice of them when he was involved with Amber? He ponders the thought, mainly to stop himself from thinking about the test and sits down on a gurney as Dr Baxter moves towards him.

"Now, I have to make sure you know the implications of this test. You have had several counseling sessions, is that right?"

"Uh huh." Tommy sniffs and tries to act as casually as possible.

"Good. And you have not had unprotected sex with a possible carrier in the last six months?" She starts to pull the syringe out of a metal tray.

"No." He replies, remembering what the counselor told him about the six month incubation period.

"Okay Tommy. Lift up your sleeve please." Dr Baxter waits until he has finished and ties a strap around his upper arm, tapping until a vein is visible. Whilst he looks away, she slides the syringe in and takes a small vial of blood. Tommy barely notices the slight stinging sensation as she takes the needle out and casts his mind back to this morning when Michael saw him visiting Amber. Will he tell Jessica? Will he work out what I was doing? Tommy sighs and eliminates the possibility. He's just being paranoid.

"Okay. Done." Dr Baxter announces as she places the vial into a plastic container and writes Tommy's name in black ink.

"When will I get the results?" He asks nervously.

"It really depends on what's going on in the lab. It could be as soon as this afternoon so if you want to leave a cellphone number or something, you can write it down for my secretary."

"Right. Thanks Dr Baxter." Tommy seems dazed as he walks out of the office and decides to spend some time in the city until he hears the news. And when he does hear the news…he has to tell Jessica everything.

Guy's Apartment: Napa City

"Nice to see you're keeping the place clean." Cassie mocks as she waits on the bed for Guy to finish eating his lunch.

"Don't get snobby missy."

"Where are we going to live when we get married?" She blurts out without thinking. Reaching over to Guy's plate, she curls her finger around a French fry and pops it into her mouth.

"I don't know." He slaps her hand playfully and starts to eat quickly so that she can't steal everything.

"We'll have to find a place. That is if you still refuse to move in with the Wheelers."

"I've told you already…"

"I know. I know." Cassie waves a hand, her face distorted by annoyance. She suddenly puts a hand to her stomach when she feels the child inside her moving. "But we better start looking soon. I want to get married before the karate kid is born. Illegitimate children are not something I want to add to my list of sins."

"You're not into Wheeler tradition then." Guy replies sarcastically and leans forwards to turn off the television. "I don't mind when we do it. Set a date. The choice is all yours."

Palace Hotel: San Francisco

Travis stumbles into the suite laughing and makes a clattering noise as he slams the door shut. His suit is dishevelled and his wavy brown hair is a complete mess.

"Honey? I'm home!" He exclaims and laughs, highly amused by his joke. There is no answer and he heads down the hallway to the main living room, expecting to find his wife watching a soap opera or a talk show on the television.

"Travis?" Adrienne jumps out of the bathroom in front of him and makes him jump. "Oh my God. You're drunk aren't you?"

"A little." Travis falls backwards onto the sofa and closes his eyes to stop the ceiling from spinning.

"Of all the irresponsible things to do…"

"Alright." He groans. "I don't need a lecture."

"That's debatable."

Travis can sense Adrienne moving at his side and opens his eyes to see what she is doing. She is closing a suitcase and moving luggage in front of the wall. "What's going on?" He slurs, confused.

"We are leaving sweetheart."

"What? Where for?"

"Dad has found a new place. And we are moving there tonight…permanently."

Tuscedero Apartments: Napa Valley

Tommy places his cellphone back into his coat pocket as he walks up the stairs towards the apartment. Now he knows the results. It didn't take long. He runs Dr Baxter's words over in his mind and recalls the feeling that washed over him when she told him the news. Now he would have to explain everything to Jessica before Michael blew it for him.

"Jess?" He pushes the door open and shuts it behind him, his hand shaking.

"Hey." She walks towards him, wiping her hands with a dish cloth and kisses him on the cheek. Her hair is pulled up in a clip and she has obviously been doing housework all day.

"We need to talk." He announces grimly and sits down on the sofa as she stands over him.

"What about?" She continues to wipe her hands.

"You know I had a phone call the other night to visit a friend of mine in hospital?"

"Uh huh."

"Her name was Amber Lake. She was an ex-girlfriend of mine. And the thing is…she has AIDS. She's dying Jess."

"Oh my God." Jessica whispers and sits down in a chair, overwhelmed with sympathy for the poor girl who can't be much older than herself. It is only after a minute or so of contemplation that she realizes what Tommy is saying. She looks up, her eyes wide with anticipation. "She was your ex-girlfriend?"

"Yes. I had to get tested for HIV today."

"And you didn't tell me?" Jessica blasts him. "What is wrong with you? I could be in danger! I might need to be tested myself and you don't think it was important for me to be aware of this?"

"You're not in danger!" Tommy shouts over her. "The test came back negative. I don't have HIV." He rubs his hands together and waits for her reaction.

"Thank God." She closes her eyes and exhales sharply. "And how long has Amber got left?"

"A week. Maybe less. She's got a liver infection and it's effected her badly."

"Are her parents with her?" Jessica shoots back.

"They're dead. She doesn't have any family."

Jessica's stony expression softens and she stares at the ground for a moment. "I'll pay. She can have the best of everything in the time she's got left. She deserves that."

"Are you serious?" Tommy jumps up from the sofa and walks over to her, kneeling on the ground in front of her.

"Yes I am."

He reaches up and kisses her softly, "I love you Jess."

Wheeler Estate: Napa Valley

"Oh good, you're home." Lauren says as Cassie walks through the door.

"Why? What's happened?" Cassie asks worriedly.

"Nothing. I just need to speak to you that's all. Come into the drawing room for a second."

"Okay." Cassie follows her in and frowns, bemused at what they could possibly have to talk about. What have I done now? She thinks to herself with a sigh.

"I know that Guy has refused money from my mother." Lauren begins bluntly. "I'm sorry if it's personal but I want to help you out. When the baby is born, you might have difficulty looking after it on Guy's income alone and I was wondering…if perhaps you would like to take a job with me at the Wheeler foundation."

"Sorry?" Cassie is stunned. The offer seems to have come out from nowhere and she puts a hand on the table at her side to steady herself. Even the most minor news seems to tire her these days.

"You would kind of be my assistant, evaluating charity grants and deciding which projects to allocate money to. Your job would be researching some of the proposals. Does that sound good?"

"Yes!" Cassie giggles. "Definitely! When do I start?"

"Okay you've caught me out. I need to get through some paper work tonight. Are you up for it?"

"Of course I am! Thank you so much!" She runs forward and hugs Lauren, the embrace hindered by Cassie's bulging stomach.

"Careful. We don't want to upset the baby." Lauren laughs at her enthusiasm.

"This kid?" Cassie points to her stomach with a grin. "I don't think so."

San Francisco General Hospital: San Francisco

"I thought you said meet you at eight." Michael scolds as he sees Donna talking to Carly at the nurse's station.

"Oh Michael I'm sorry. I got held up. We can go now if you like." She takes off her lab coat and hands it to Carly before walking down the corridor with him.

"Did you have anything special planned for tonight?" Michael grins.

"Sex you mean?" Donna responds bluntly. "Well, you never know."

"It's too late now then I suppose." Michael jokes.

They wait for the elevator doors to open and step inside silently. Donna presses the button to take them to the parking lot as tension fills the air. Suddenly, Donna lunges forward and hits the button to stop the elevator which comes to an abrupt halt.

"What are you doing?" Michael shouts in disbelief.

"Taking control." Donna grabs him and kisses him passionately. Grappling with her blouse, he pushes her up against the side of the elevator and they start to undress each other whilst locked in their embrace.

"Are there cameras in here?" Michael asks as he throws Donna's blouse to the floor.

"I sure hope not."

Pacific West Industries: San Francisco

As the last of his guests leave, Greg turns with a sigh and heads to his office, unbuttoning his shirt as he walks. What a day. He rubs his throbbing head and treads slowly into his office, only turning on his desk lamp to cut through the darkness. He could fall asleep right here.

Walking around the side of his desk, he collapses in the huge leather chair and shutting his eyes he groans. A click from the door makes him alert again and he looks up at the doorway. Julia is standing there.

"Julia. It's late. If you want to see me, make an appointment with my secretary tomorrow."

"I don't think that would go down too well." She drops her coat to the ground, revealing a black lacy bustier. She waits for his reaction and smiles when he is rendered speechless. Then she walks behind his chair and placing her hands on his shoulders, she starts to kneed them with her fingers, massaging his stress away.

"What are you doing?" He groans.

"Giving you therapy." She stops massaging and runs her hands down his chest. Then, without speaking, she steps in front of him and places her lips on his. He starts to respond but with a jolt he pushes her away and jumps out of his chair.

"I can't do this."

"Of course you can." Julia steps forwards again and starts to tug at his tie but he stops her abruptly by shoving her.

"I'm engaged." He snaps. "Accept it and get the hell out."

Humiliated, Julia grabs her coat from the ground and slips into it quickly, eager not to be spotted by anybody. "You're going to regret this." She snarls and slams the door shut as she walks out.

"Maybe I will." Greg takes a deep breath and then sits back down with a guilty grin on his face.

Next on Power and Deception

-David has an offer for Travis...

-Julia steps up her seduction attempts...

-A desperate Constance scares Donna...

-Amber's condition worsens...

-A baby boy is born...