The deadly silence that had prevailed after the gunfire ceased is now broken by Jake's revelation. Ignoring the bustle around him as the guests pick themselves up off the ground, he follows the trail of blood with his eyes to Julia who is lying motionless on the ground.

"Mom!" Jake cries out drawing attention to the possible fatality.

"Let me." Donna pushes through the horrified guests and jumps to her knees on the ground. Rolling Julia over she can immediately see the wound in her left arm.

"It hurts…" Seemingly coming to consciousness, Julia struggles to sit up and instinctively flings a hand to the wound.

"Alright the bullet grazed you. Come on Julia, we need to get you to the hospital." Giving Jake a calming glance, Donna begins to help Julia to her feet.

"Is everybody else okay?" Isabelle's voice booms across the shocked crowd. There are several utterances but no emergencies are brought to her attention. "Oh thank God."

"Guy!" Michael calls out to his brother and beckons him over. "It came from the stables. Come on!"

Both men race through the crowd and around the side of the house. Squinting to get a better view through the darkness of the night, they see a figure racing out of the stables and across the driveway.

"Hey!" Michael yells at the mysterious trespasser and rushes in their direction followed by Guy. Suddenly, lights from a car illuminate the area and they are forced to watch as the shooter screeches away from the house in an unidentifiable car.

"Damn. I can't believe they got away." Breathless, Guy puts a hand on Michael's shoulder.

"Neither can I." Michael turns and glances up at the stables. The door is open and it was clearly used as the vantage point for the shooter. "We better get inside and call the police."

Back on the patio Donna is sitting impatiently with Julia and jumps up when Michael heads towards them. "Cassie's gone to call the police. Did you catch them?" She asks hopefully.

"No. Whoever it was got away. We were going to call the police ourselves…" Michael trails off and lowers his voice. "Where did Bobby go?"

"My father? I…" Donna swings her head around and it suddenly dawns on her that he has disappeared. "I've got no idea. I thought he was still around when the shooting broke out but I must have been mistaken…"

"You don't think…" Michael doesn't even need to finish the sentence and Donna nods in agreement. "Okay listen you better get back to Julia and make sure she gets to the hospital. I'll wait here for the police to arrive."

They both look over at Isabelle who is kneeling in front of a babbling Lauren.

"People…trying to kill me." She is telling her mother whilst rocking backwards and forwards on a metal seat. She keeps her eyes focused on the water in the illuminated swimming pool as John puts a blanket around her shoulders.

"You don't know that honey. We won't know until the police check everything out."

"What about the Delta Group?" John offers. "Could it be them?"

"I don't know. It's been a long time since they last tried anything…I don't think there's much use speculating now. We need to get Lauren up to bed. I'll give her a sedative to calm her down. Are you still in the guest room?" Isabelle is reluctant to ask.

"Yes." John replies defiantly although he feels guilty about not comforting his wife when she is so obviously in distress.

"Very well." Isabelle stands as John scoops a trembling Lauren up in his arms and they head inside the house.

Masters Mansion: San Francisco

"Do you think she's ready to see us now?" Keeping her voice steady, Adrienne sets down her neat glass of vodka and rubs her hands together in apprehension.

"It's gone midnight. Don't you think she'll be asleep?" Travis replies worriedly.

Adrienne rolls her eyes, "She's just told us she's a lesbian and that's not exactly akin to a sleeping pill. Of course she's not asleep."

Bumbling, Travis gets up and follows his wife up the darkened staircase. As Adrienne had predicted, there is a light on in Danielle's room and taking a deep breath, Travis knocks on the door.

"Come in." Danielle's voice sounds from inside.

"Sweetie?" Adrienne tries to come across as motherly as possible and sits down on the edge of the bed. Danielle is fully clothed and has her eyes on a small television set in the far corner of the room. She is flicking through the channels to distract her from her parents' presence.

"I think we need to talk." Travis begins.

"Do we have to?"

"Your father's right." Adrienne snatches the remote control away from her daughter and turns off the television. She keeps it in her hands and wraps her fingers around it.

"Don't tell me. You're worried I've brought shame on the family right?" Danielle snaps annoyed by the intrusion.

"No!" Adrienne is quick to correct the assumption and seems to be aghast. "I don't care about shame do you hear me? We have come up here to assure you that we love you no matter what."

"Really?" Surprised, Danielle flicks her eyes between her parents and notices that Travis is slow to respond.

"Of course." He finally answers. "You might not have turned out how I thought you would…but that doesn't stop me from loving you just as much as I did before."

"Unconditionally." Adrienne adds. "You could be a serial killer and I would still love you because you are my daughter and that's all that matters. You can be straight, gay, bisexual…anything and we will support your decision. I know how hard it must have been for you to tell everyone tonight…"

"Huh." Danielle scoffs. "I wish I hadn't had to do that."

"We know Julia Wheeler played a major part and we're sorry you got caught in the middle of the stupid feud." Travis sits down on the bed.

"And what about Granddaddy?"

A silence falls upon the room and Adrienne stares at her husband for help which is unfortunately not forthcoming. She attempts to handle the issue tactfully, "Your grandfather is from a different generation. He doesn't understand these things…"

"What a load of BS." Danielle shouts angrily. "What is there to understand? I sleep with girls and not guys. It seems pretty simple to me."

"I'm not Greg and I can't explain his actions." Adrienne attempts to soothe the frustrated teen. "I can only hope that eventually he will come to accept you. By the way we called Will earlier to tell him…and he said there is someone special in your life…who came to San Francisco with you."

"Are we going to get to meet her?" Travis jumps in.

Ignoring her apprehension, Danielle replies with determination. "Alright. I'll call her. You can meet her tomorrow."

Wheeler Estate: Napa Valley

As she descends the stairs after putting Lauren to bed, Isabelle can hear a buzz of activity coming from the living room and follows the direction of the noise. It crosses her mind that perhaps she should go home and talk to Greg but the visible presence of the police seals her decision.

"Lieutenant Arnold. Have you caught the person responsible yet?"

Michael, Guy, Cassie and John turn to face the older woman as Brandon Arnold steps towards her. "No ma'am I'm afraid not. But we did find a black Toyota sedan abandoned about a mile out of San Francisco and we think that was the getaway car."

Isabelle nods her head and Michael jumps up. "I'm going to go to the hospital to see Donna. I guess someone should check up on Julia." He adds hesitantly.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Isabelle reaches up and kisses her son on the cheek before he leaves the room. "John." She calls out grabbing the attention of her son-in-law.

"Yes?" John leaves the comfort of the armchair he has been sitting in and the police turn their attention to Guy and Cassie.

"I've been talking to Lauren upstairs. I'm really worried about her."

"Well so am I. She's been acting so irrationally."

"I know." Trying to find privacy, Isabelle leads John out into the hallway. "Has she started taking anything recently? Any medication that might have brought this on? You know you hear stories about allergy pills and that sort of thing…" She trails off waiting for a response.

"Not that I know of. She takes vitamin pills but they've never caused any trouble before."

"Uh huh. I don't know what to do. But I think the only way to help Lauren…is to get her psychiatric help."

On the landing above, Lauren scowls as she finishes listening to the conversation and contemplating how she is going to get herself out of this situation she heads back to her bedroom.

Highway: San Diego

Flashing blue lights cast a colored hue over the road as police officers busily move around the crumpled wreck of a car which is situated precariously on an embankment.

"We're taking her out." A male paramedic announces and accompanies his female partner as they cut through the crowd of police with a gurney. The woman in the front seat has clearly been dead for sometime and her head is lying on the steering wheel, congealed blood surrounding it.

It does not take long for them to pull her out and after zipping up the black bodybag, the male paramedic steps towards one of the policemen.

"Any ID?"

"Yeah." The cop replies, tapping a credit card against the palm of his hand. "Barbara Sanderson."

Wheeler Estate: Napa Valley

Cassie and Guy are watching a news bulletin in the living room. They are still wearing the same clothes as last night having failed to return home.

"Police have announced that they have found the getaway car used by the shooter and are currently searching it for evidence. Meanwhile, Julia Wheeler is said to have sustained minor injuries from the shooting and stayed overnight at San Francisco General Hospital.

In other news, police were called to the scene of a tragic car accident last night and the body of a middle-aged woman named Barbara Sanderson was found in the wreck."

"Oh my God." Cassie gasps and grabs the remote to turn up the volume. "Isabelle! You should come in here!"

Guy leans forwards as Isabelle enters the room and they all silently watch for information. When the story is over, Cassie switches off the television.

"It looks like we've found our shooter." Guy comments hopefully and turns to see Isabelle wringing her hands in discomfort.

"Maybe. She made a phone call to my office yesterday saying she knew what happened to Ian. Perhaps…Perhaps she came to get revenge and…"

"Died in a car crash on the way back to San Diego." Guy finishes the sentence and rubs his face wearily. "I wonder if they'll pin it on her."

"Wait." Cassie murmurs and runs a hand through her hair. "I don't think it was her."

"Why?" Isabelle responds quickly.

"Because it said on the news that she was headed towards San Francisco when she lost control of the car. Why would she be coming back if she'd already been here. Surely she'd want to get home as soon as possible."

The flaw in logic causes Isabelle to sigh in frustration. Putting a hand to her head she collapses in an over-stuffed arm chair at her side and looks up. "If Barbara Sanderson wasn't the shooter…then who was it?"

* * *

Lauren swings her legs over the side of the bed and tries to shake off the fatigue that never seems to leave her. She casts a brief glance over to John's side of the bed which hasn't been slept in for days. That's because he wants to get rid of you.

Clenching her fists with anger, Lauren steps into the bathroom and opens up her medicine cabinet, fumbling for the vitamin pills. She unscrews the bottle and drops two onto the marble surface next to the sink.

"She takes vitamin pills but they've never caused any trouble before…" John's words race around in Lauren's mind and her eyes widening she stares at the bottle.

He's poisoning you Lauren. He wants them to think you are crazy. Don't take them. Don't take them!

Her body flinching, Lauren drops the bottle into the sink and taking control she empties the contents. After turning on the faucet she watches as the pills are washed away.

"You're not going to lock me up. The game's over John."

San Francisco General Hospital: San Francisco

"No it's only a graze. As long as you keep the bandage on for the next couple of days, I don't see any reason why you can't leave now."

"Oh." Julia groans. "Thank God."

She goes to the mirror to check her appearance as Donna enters, brushing past Julia's doctor as he leaves.

"You…" Seeing Donna's reflection in the mirror, Julia spins round. "What are you doing here? Don't tell me you were concerned."

"I'm very concerned. That's why I need to talk to you."

"Talk is cheap. And I've got better things to do." Julia reaches for her purse which is lying on the bed and walks towards the door.

"Wait." Donna steps in front of her, blocking her exit.

"Get out of my way."

"Not until you've heard me out. It's about my father."

"Not this again." Julia rolls her eyes.

"Don't you think it was a little mysterious the way he left the barbecue last night right before the shooting started?"

"Perhaps he had a fourth of July party to get to." Julia is quick to snap.

"This is serious. I heard him making a phonecall when you went to find Antonio. He mentioned your name and only a few minutes later you were grazed by a bullet. Doesn't that sound suspicious to you?"

"What possible reason could your father have for wanting me dead?"

"I don't know." Donna concedes with a shrug. "Perhaps he thought getting you out of the way would make it easier for him to take control of the Wheeler Corporation."

"He has never expressed any interest in the company to me. And I am not going to stand here and listen to any more of this drivel! Move!" Using a hand to shield her injured arm, Julia slams Donna out of her way and scurries across the corridor to the elevator.

Maybe she's right. Julia thinks to herself as she steps inside. But I've got bigger things to take care of. I think it's about time Travis found out the exact identity of his wife's little playmate.

Richardson House: Napa Valley

The house is silent as Cassie peers through the living room window and spots Jake's car pulling up on the driveway. She quickly looks over at Lucas who is sleeping in his crib and rolls her eyes.

"What the hell does he want?"

Guy, who has also heard the noise, trots down the stairs and bolts to open the front door greeting Jake with a smug smile. "Come for humble pie?"

"I've come to salvage what's left of my relationship with my son." Jake snaps testily and pushes his way into the house. His expression does not change when he is faced with Cassie in the living room.

"I don't think there's anything to salvage." Cassie informs the unwelcome guest before moving towards the television in the corner of the room. She takes a videotape from the top and bends down to slide it into the VCR.

"I don't need to see this…" Jake protests.

"You should. It'll beat any summer movie." Guy resists the urge to chuckle.

Nodding in agreement, Cassie switches on the television and waits for the picture to come up on screen. As the group surveys footage of the scuffle at the barbecue, Jake wriggles uncomfortably before finally cracking. "Turn it off!"

"Alright." Cassie makes a mocking face and the picture on the television flickers away.

"I take it there is a point to all this." Jake runs a finger around the collar of his shirt.

"Absolutely. That…" Cassie nods towards the VCR, "Plus your teenage alcohol addiction would not sit favorably with any judge. So basically…I thought that we should make our own little settlement right here."

"I'm not letting some kangaroo court settle custody of my son." The raise in volume of Jake's voice causes Lucas to gurgle unhappily.

"Kangaroo?" Cassie raises an eyebrow. "I think piranha is more what I had in mind don't you Guy?"

"Yeah that's what I was hoping for." Guy agrees with a smile.

"Hit me with it. What is this going to cost me?" Jake reaches into his jacket pocket for his check book.

"No." Cassie becomes serious. "Why do you always think it's about money?"

"Because you married me for it?" Jake replies without missing a beat.

"Touché. But I should've realized that no amount of money would adequately compensate me for the hell that I called marriage to you. No…this isn't about money. We're reasonable people and we think that you should have limited visitation rights to Lucas. You would still be acknowledged as his…father…but Guy would play a more active role."

"You want my son to be raised by my uncle?" Jake spits furiously. "Don't you find that a little sick."

Cassie sighs, "Are you going to take the offer or not? If you don't then our home movie will not only be seen by the judge but the ten o'clock news as well."

Staring at her stonily, Jake replies. "I don't see I have a choice. I'll agree to the arrangement. Consider my custody suit dropped."

Bobby's Apartment: San Francisco

"I'm coming." Bobby catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror on the way to the door. He brushes a piece of cotton off his suit and keeps his hand on his gun holster as he pulls the door open.

"I think we should talk." Michael is agitated and steps in when Bobby signals for him to enter. He goes to the bare living area which has yet to be furnished. Donna also follows him, having waited in the corridor outside.

"I have a meeting here in half an hour. Is this going to take long?" Bobby asks cavalierly.

"I hope not." Michael replies and holds Donna's hand. "We want to know why you tried to kill Julia last night."

"What?" Bobby is aghast and assumes a hurt expression. "You come into my home and accuse me of being a murderer? I don't know whether your mother ever taught you about etiquette but that strikes me as a little rude."

"Cut the crap father." Donna hollers. "We want to know the truth. Why did you shoot at Julia last night?"

"I didn't."

"You didn't?" Having not expected this reply, Donna is thrown off balance. "Well then why did you disappear?"

"I went to call Antonio and have the limousine brought round. Julia didn't turn up so I went home."

Michael steps in, "She didn't turn up because she was lying on the ground in her own blood."

"Not because of me."

"How can you expect me to trust you? I know you are more than capable of it." Donna stands face to face with her father.

"You see this?" Bobby reaches into his blazer and pulls out a revolver which causes Michael and Donna to step backwards. "If I wanted to kill Julia Wheeler, then believe me I could have done it myself by now. And I really don't appreciate your interference in matters that don't concern you."

"If you didn't cause the shooting then who did?" Donna breathes a sigh of relief when Bobby slips the gun back into its holster.

"I have no idea Donella. Let the police do their job and I'm sure you'll find out."

Palace Hotel: San Francisco

"Barbara Sanderson was the widow of Ian Sanderson, a former estate manager for the Wheeler family…" In irritation, Mindy looks away from the television and puts her face in her hands.

How could it all have gone so wrong? Why did the stupid bitch have to die? If only she had turned up at the barbecue…then she could have taken the rap for the shooting…

"Maybe she still will." Mindy voices her thoughts. "Everybody knows that she had issues with Isabelle. I've just got to keep my head down…"

Getting up from the sofa, Mindy steps towards her nightstand and pulls a gleaming silver gun from the top. Wrapping it in a white handkerchief, she slips it into her purse and sets it down on the bed. "No one will ever know…"

Pacific West Industries: San Francisco

"Is he in?" Adrienne directs the question towards Greg's secretary as she breezes through the foyer.

"Yes but he's in a meeting."

"Oh." She stops dead in her tracks and takes a deep breath. "This is more important."

Wrenching the door knob violently, she flings the door open and is met with stunned glances from two suited businessmen. Greg, who is sat behind his desk frowns. "I'm busy here."

"Tough. Gentlemen, if you don't mind I have an important matter to discuss with my father."

"Yes of course." One of them mumbles, eager not to be caught up in a domestic war.

"How dare you." Greg spits and stands up to face his daughter.

"Me?" Adrienne points a finger at herself dramatically. "You're the one who has turned against your own family."

"I have not!" Greg snaps and flings a pen down on his desk. "I just don't agree with the kind of…lifestyle that Danielle has chosen for herself."

"Chosen?" Adrienne is taken aback. "Do you really think that she would have kept it a secret for so many months if she chose to be a lesbian?"

"It goes to show that she obviously knew we wouldn't approve."

"No." Shaking her head, Adrienne begins to move around the room looking away from her father. "She thought it would be me and Travis who wouldn't approve. She never dreamt that you…the great libertarian would have any problem with it at all."

"Well what can I say. I guess I'm more conservative than you thought."

"Conservative?" Moving towards Greg, Adrienne places the palms of her hands flat on his desk and leans towards him, "This is bigotry not conservatism. Why are you doing this to her?"

"I…"

"No!" Adrienne yells. "Save it. I have never been as disappointed in you as I am right now and if mother was still alive, she'd be ashamed of you too."

Wheeler Corporation: San Francisco

"Good morning Mrs Masters. I'd just like to say how sorry I am about what happened last night."

"Thank you Flo." Isabelle attempts a smile. It is difficult to remain even tempered after already receiving so much sympathy from her employees. Of course it is obvious to Isabelle that the only reason most of them are being sympathetic is because they want to know more details.

"Uh there's somebody in your office by the way."

"Who?" Isabelle frowns as she opens the door and lets out an exasperated sigh when she sees Adrienne sitting on a sofa by the window.

"Why have you poisoned my father's mind?"

"You've decided to dispense with 'hello' then." Isabelle moves around her desk and begins to shuffle through files preparing herself for the rant that is obviously about to come.

"You do realize that he wants nothing to do with Danielle any more don't you." Adrienne scoffs, "What am I saying? Of course you do because you are the one who turned him against her!"

"That is enough!" Isabelle slams the files down on her desk and directs her fury towards Adrienne, not caring that people can hear her outside. "I have had it with you blaming me for everything! Julia was the one who blackmailed your daughter not me! And I have never had a bad word to say about Danielle. If you weren't such a spoilt, spiteful little brat then you would be able to see that for yourself."

The unexpected outburst silences Adrienne who is left grasping for a retort. "Well…why is he being so unreasonable then?"

"Who knows? You like to think you know him better than anybody else so why don't you tell me?"

"Maybe I just never realized that he had these kind of views…"

"Yeah." Isabelle agrees. "Maybe. But I have to say you were the one I'd expect to disagree with Danielle's orientation. You've certainly been snobby enough in the past."

"Danielle is my daughter. That's all that matters." Adrienne crosses her arms and begins to walk aimlessly, staring out of the window. Eventually she turns, "What are we going to do about it?"

"I don't know. But unless Greg is able to rectify this mistake…then I won't hesitate in leaving him."

The words cause Adrienne's eyes to widen and she seems disbelieving. "Really?"

"Yes, really."