Putting a hand to his forehead, John wipes off the sweat that is covering him and he walks out of the bathroom, back into the living area of the suite where Mindy is lounging seductively on the sofa.

"What's the matter?" She immediately jumps up, seeing the glazed look in his eyes.

"I…I don't feel so good." As Mindy steps towards him, John feels his temperature rising. What has gotten into me? He thinks to himself desperately. It takes all his willpower to resist the urge to grab Mindy and kiss her passionately.

"Come and sit down. Finish your drink." She pulls him across the room by his hand and enjoys the fact that her plan is clearly working. "You look a little…hot."

"I am." He replies breathlessly, pulling his hand from Mindy's grip. "Perhaps it's the alcohol." He adds, casting a glance towards the glass which Mindy is holding for him to take.

"This?" She quickly tries to cover. "You've barely had anything. Come on, loosen up. Have some more."

John's hand moves forwards and his fingers wrap around the cool glass but every fiber of his body seems to be telling him not to drink it. Pushing it away gently, he stands up. "No. Look I think I should go."

"You only just got here! Stay a little longer." Mindy pleads, clasping the drink carefully, eager not to spill any of the contents.

"I said no!" John yells and with that he races across the room to the door. After fumbling frantically with the lock, he yanks it open and makes his way out into the corridor breathing deeply. "I've got to get out of here." He says to himself and heads towards the elevator.

Back inside the hotel room, Mindy eyes the door menacingly and is unable to control herself from tightening her grip on the glass. Pulling her arm back in a product of rage, she flings it forwards and the glass is released from her hand, smashing against the white painted wood of the door. Mindy watches the scotch trickle down the smooth glossy surface and makes a promise to herself. It's not over yet.

Bobby's Apartment: San Francisco

With a satisfied sigh, Bobby moves across the bed and drops his head onto the pillow. Still breathless, he moves slightly to lessen the constriction of the silky bedsheets and reaches over to push a stray lock of hair from Julia's face.

"Did I help?" He asks her playfully and she moves closer, their naked bodies intertwined.

"Most definitely. I think it was just what I needed."

"So what was the rush? Couldn't it have waited for tomorrow? I'm not complaining but…"

"I haven't had a good day Bobby. It seems like after the party my whole family's turned against me and the last straw came when Jessica didn't want to come home…There was a bottle of pills in the car…"

Bobby moves backwards aghast, "You weren't seriously thinking about suicide."

"Well no not seriously. I found a much better solution for my problems." With a grin, Julia kisses Bobby softly.

"I'll take care of you now Julia. You don't need to worry about your family again as long as I'm around."

"I'm sure that's true but you're quite a mystery man aren't you?"

"Don't all women like a bit of mystery in their men?"

"Darling I just like men. And they seem to like me too."

Bobby chuckles, "Julia I think we're going to make an unbeatable team."

Julia kisses his chest and works her way up until she reaches his lips, causing him to groan with appreciation. "So do I Bobby. So do I."

Wheeler Estate: Napa Valley

Walking across the moonlit driveway, John curses himself over and over for the attraction he was feeling towards Mindy. I don't want her. I'm married. He assures himself as he reaches the front door and slides a key into the lock.

John steps silently into the hallway and closes the door behind him, careful not to make a noise when he presses the button on the metal latch. The hallway is pitch black and John is left to tip toe to the stairs his ears ringing from the eerie silence.

"You're home." A disembodied voice calls out and John jumps backwards, feeling as if his heart has skipped a beat.

A light is turned on illuminating the hallway and he sees Lauren standing at the top of the stairs. "You're scared the crap out of me." He informs her testily.

"I'm sorry. I thought it might be an intruder. Where were you all night anyway?"

"I was celebrating with Mindy. Adam's going to be released in a few days."

"Oh that's great news." Lauren beams sincerely. "Is he going to stay at the hotel?"

John frowns, "We hadn't thought about that. Why are you so agreeable anyway? I thought you'd string me up for coming home so late."

Lauren shrugs, "I'm in a good mood I guess." She pauses, "How do you feel about moving back into our bedroom tonight?"

"I think you read my mind." Racing up the stairs, John reaches out for Lauren and pulls her into a passionate embrace.

She giggles as he lifts her up into his arms and leads her down the hallway. And you can wait until tomorrow Mindy. Lauren thinks to herself as they reach the bedroom door.

Elliott House: San Francisco

Taking a sip from his steaming hot morning cup of coffee, David roams around the living room and furrows his brow when he sees the time on the clock. He has five minutes until his visitor is going to arrive.

"Just enough time to make a call." David mumbles as an idea comes into his head and he reaches for the cordless phone, which is resting, by his side. He dials the number of Travis's cellphone and waits.

"Hello?" Travis answers.

"Oh hi, it's David. Look I'm sorry to bother you but I'm going to miss the beginning of the partners' meeting this morning. I've got a prior appointment."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

"Thanks. Bye." Not wanting to get into a conversation, David quickly hits the button to turn off the telephone and as it bleeps, the doorbell sounds through the house.

His eyes widening in anticipation, David leaves his coffee cup on the table and runs to the front door which he opens enthusiastically.

A slightly plump blonde woman is standing on his doorstep in a nurse's uniform and she is smiling widely. David looks past her towards a battered old Ford which is parked on his driveway and hopes that nobody he knows passes the house whilst his visitor is here.

"Mr Elliott? I'm Lucinda Bauer. You called me last night." The woman speaks to garner his attention.

Snapped out of his preoccupation, David replies warmly. "Hi Lucinda. I'm sorry, come on in." He steps aside and follows as she goes into the living room.

"What a nice house. Your…ex-wife has spoken a lot about it. It's a real family home."

David smirks, "Yeah. It sure is."

"I suppose you wanted to know about Stephanie's progress." Lucinda sits down on a chair primly and crosses her legs at the ankles. She rests her purse on her lap.

"Not entirely." David chooses his words carefully. "But I did think that we could be useful to each other."

"We can?" Lucinda blushes and shifts in her seat uncomfortably. Handsome men don't usually have a habit of talking to her.

"Yes definitely." David flashes her his most charming smile and reaches to the coffee table from which he takes a large envelope. He reaches inside and pulls out several sheets of paper.

"What's that?" Curiosity getting the better of her, Lucinda leans forward to sneak a peak.

"Information…on you." David hands her the papers.

"Me?" She begins to shuffle through them, slightly alarmed. "Why do you want information on me?"

"To see if there is anything I can help you with."

"Mr Elliott I really don't understand."

"I'm sorry. I've been remiss. I noticed in the information that your parents are living in a nursing home in Miami."

"That's right. I don't mean to sound rude but I don't see what that has got to do with you." She hands the papers back.

"Those places in Florida." David continues ignoring her. "Uh…they're not cheap are they."

Lucinda looks away from him, a hint of embarrassment in her voice. "I get by."

"But you don't need to just get by if you do me a little favor. I'd be more than willing to contribute towards your parents' care if you just did one little thing for me in return."

The offer causes Lucinda's eyes to widen and she stammers as she forms her reply. "W…w…what do you want me to do Mr Elliott?"

"Here’s a hint." Getting up from his seat, David steps out of view into the kitchen and Lucinda breathes deeply as she hears him rustling around.

He finally enters and Lucinda gasps when she sees the instrument that David is holding in his hands. "Take it." He hands the glistening metal kitchen knife over to Lucinda who shakes. She receives it and holds it carefully in her hands as if it were a precious artefact.

"What do you want me to do with it?" She says, her eyes darting to David.

"It's simple. Let me tell you."

Bobby's Apartment: San Francisco

Donna waits alone in the elevator of her father's apartment building and clutches her cell phone tightly, her knuckles whitening. "I told you Michael, her car was in the garage."

"Great." Michael replies from the Wheeler Foundation across town. "She's really fallen for his act hasn't she."

"Seemingly so." Exhaling as she begins to lose her temper, Donna steps off the elevator and decides to wrap up the call. "I'm nearly there. I better go."

"Catch you later." The words come out quickly and when the line goes dead, Donna snaps the phone shut, dropping it into her purse which is hanging loosely at her side.

She knocks loudly on the door of Bobby's apartment and moves her hand to her shoulder, pulling her purse further up.

It doesn't take long for the door to open and Donna cocks her head to the side in distaste when she sees Julia standing in front of her. She is dressed in the same beige colored suit that she was wearing yesterday only increasing Donna's suspicion.

"Bobby!" Julia yells into the apartment, dispensing with any greeting. "Your daughter's here!"

"Donella?" Bobby rushes to Julia's side, clad only in a dark flannel robe.

"That's me." Donna is unable to control the disdain in her voice.

Turning his attention to Julia, Bobby kisses her lightly before she walks out of the door. "Call me." He suggests and she nods with a wave as she heads to the elevator.

"Can I come in now the show's over?" Donna asks.

"Yes. Of course." Bobby makes a theatrical sweeping gesture, ushering his daughter into the living room of the apartment which is still bare and free of furniture.

"I didn't know you were sleeping with Julia Wheeler."

"You don't beat around the bush do you." Bobby replies, picking up a cup of coffee from the ground.

"I don't think there's any need to be subtle about it when you two just flaunted your new relationship in my face. I may not like the woman but Julia does not deserve to get involved with you."

Bobby grins, "You have such a low opinion of me."

"Damn right I do. You're a killer and a monster. Even mother committed suicide to be free of you."

"Don't you dare talk about her that way." Bobby's eyes flash with anger and he stares at his daughter.

"It's true and you know it. So for Julia' sake I want you to leave her alone. Go back to New York."

"That could have happened if you hadn't have been so stubborn. You ran away from your family Donella and now you will face the consequences."

"What are you talking about?" Donna shakes with terror.

"Consequences which will get even worse if you continue to butt into my private life. If you want your boyfriend to stay alive, I suggest you take my advice and never talk about me to Julia again."

Palace Hotel: San Francisco

Striding confidently inside the hotel, Lauren takes a look around at the bustling marble lined foyer. The reception area immediately catches her attention and noticing there is no queue, she moves towards it briskly.

"Hi my name's Lauren Erikson." Lauren greets the young man behind the desk as sweetly as possible.

"Hello." He replies, clearly affected by her dazzling smile. "Can I help you?"

Lauren giggles, "I'm sure you can. But for now I was wondering if you could tell me whether Melinda Stewart is in her room."

The man taps a keyboard behind the desk with swift expert strokes and there is a beep as the details he is looking for come up on screen. "No. Ms Stewart left her room about an hour ago. Did you want to leave a message?"

"Oh no." Lauren looks forlorn. "I've got an important meeting this morning and all my notes are in her room. I could get fired!"

"I'm sure she won't be long. If you'd like, you could go to the bar and have a drink whilst you wait."

"But I've got so little time." Just let me in to the room god dammit. Going to her last resort, Lauren moves a hand up to the neck of her blouse and plays with the top button. She resists the urge to roll her eyes when she notices that the man is staring at her chest. "Could you possibly give me the key or let me into the room? I wouldn't ask if it wasn't urgent?"

"Huh?" The hotel workers' eyes dart back up to Lauren's face and he replies. "It is against hotel policy but I suppose it wouldn't hurt if I let you in."

"Thank you so much. You're a sweetheart." Lauren grins as he leads her into an elevator and to the floor of Mindy's hotel suite. When they reach the door, he slides the card into the electronic lock and waits for the green light to appear. Afterwards he waits at the door for a tip but Lauren shuts the door in his face.

"Where to start." Lauren mumbles as she reaches the living area and moves around all the hidden spaces she can find, desperate to find any evidence that Mindy has been drugging her. She reaches the last drawer which she hasn't checked and sighs in frustration when she finds that it is empty. Slamming it shut, she runs across the living area to Mindy's bedroom.

On entering, Lauren notices that everything is neat and tidy, cream bedsheets resting on the bed perfectly. I don't think John was in there last night.

A built in closet eventually catches Lauren's eye and she pulls the door open. Several shoe boxes are piled up at the bottom of the closet but one has a small portion of white linen hanging out. Lauren grabs this one first and ignoring the mess she has caused, she tosses the box onto the bed, yanking off the lid frantically.

On top of the linen is a small unlabelled bottle of clear liquid and raising an eyebrow, Lauren unscrews the cap. She is immediately struck by the pungent aroma it emits and wrestles with the cap to get it back on. Next she is drawn to the other object in the box and puts her hand underneath the linen surprised at how heavy the object is. Carefully, moving the linen off it, she gasps in horror when a shiny piece of metal comes into view and a gun rests in her hands.

Clutching it, Lauren flings her free hand to her mouth, unable to control her shock.

"We're not!" John pleads with her in frustration.

"Yes you are! You all want me to leave and let you…"

BANG

Lauren's words are drowned out by a deafening gunshot, which throws the party into chaos.

"Get down!" John throws himself on top of Lauren and pulls Isabelle down to the ground as another gunshot rings out.

"Guy!" Cassie screams and chokes when she sees that her husband seems not to have been hit.

As the gunfire stops, Jake turns his head and his horrified when he sees a pool of blood forming on the hard concrete. "Oh my God! I think someone's been hit!"

The weapon is cold to touch and ignoring the feel of the metal against her skin, Lauren carefully opens up the chamber. There are only two bullets left inside.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Lauren flicks her head round to see Mindy standing by the bedroom door, glaring at her angrily.

"I…"

"Give me that!" Mindy surges forwards and lunges for the gun but without thinking, Lauren jumps up and holds it out in front of her, pointing it at her rival.

"You were the one who shot at my family during the barbecue." Lauren moves her free hand up to keep hold of the gun, concerned by her shaking.

Mindy sneers, "Yeah right Lauren. You're delusional, everybody knows that. Just because you found a gun in my closet, you assume that I was the shooter? You're crazy…and you broke into my hotel room. I'm calling the police."

"Good!" Lauren shouts at the top of her voice. "Call them and let them take this gun away. Along with your little something for the weekend which I found with it." She nods in the direction of the liquid which is resting inside the empty shoebox.

Mindy's collected demeanor fades and she begins to step towards Lauren. "Fine. You want to know the truth? I drugged you. I shot at you but do you really think anybody is going to believe the words of a deranged lunatic? Donna Hanson can testify that you've been unstable recently. It wouldn't be too difficult to convince the police that you planted this stuff here, especially as you broke in."

"You can't worm your way out of this one Mindy. And I'm going to make sure of it." Lauren's finger whitens as she increases her pressure on the trigger of the gun.

"Just give me that. You don't have the guts to shoot me Lauren. Give it to me." Mindy lowers her voice to a whisper and continues to move forwards. With one quick movement, she lashes out at Lauren, knocking the gun out of her hands. It lands on the bed and Mindy pushes her enemy out of the way, reaching it first. Out of breath, she turns and trains it on an unarmed Lauren.

"You're insane." Lauren cries.

"No…you are! I'm creative and resourceful but I'm not insane. This wouldn't have to happen if you just accepted that John doesn't want you anymore. He belongs with me and Adam in Los Angeles."

"Is that why he came home last night and slept with me after visiting you? I'm his wife Mindy. You took him from me before but it's not going to happen again."

"Not even if he found out about Megan?"

"What?" The name throws Lauren off guard and she begins to wring her hands, still staring down the barrel of the gun which is being pointed at her.

"Your daughter. She lives in Cleveland remember? The little bastard child that came from your liaison with Ian Sanderson."

"It wasn't a liaison! He raped me!"

"Do you really think it'll matter to John either way? You've kept the truth from him for years that he has a step-daughter."

"You did exactly the same with Adam."

"Yes but my father wouldn't let John near me. He warned me not to tell about Adam but now I have, John understands. He wants to be part of a family. Just him, me and Adam."

"You're deluding yourself. And if you tell my husband about Megan then so be it. I am not being your victim any longer."

Mindy watches as Lauren leaves the bedroom and drops the gun down onto the bed. She waits until she hears the door of the hotel suite shut and when she does, she immediately reaches for the phone, dialling the number which she has memorized.

"John?" She forces herself to sob to make the call more convincing. "Something awful's happened. Lauren just threatened me."

Masters Mansion: San Francisco

"What is it?" Adrienne asks as Danielle appears in the doorway of the den. The smile which had been brightening her face since last night has now disappeared and Adrienne knows all too well from the look in her daughter's eyes that something is seriously wrong.

"I just got a phone call from Courtney. It wasn't good news."

"No?" Adrienne becomes worried and hopes that Travis will get home early in case this is a major crisis.

"Her mother is pretty sick and she has to fly back to England today. She suggested that I didn't go with her."

"I'm sorry." Adrienne puts an arm around her daughter. "I'm sure she was just worried about her mom and she knew that if you went with her, she wouldn't be able to pay you the attention you deserve."

"Or maybe my not so understanding grandfather scared her off."

"She didn't seem too scared to me."

"I suppose you're right but it does leave me at a loose end now that she's gone. I probably won't get to see her again until October."

"I'm sure her mother will be better before term starts. Don't be so pessimistic."

"I'm sorry." Danielle forces a smile. "Here I am whining on about my love life when I should really be thanking you for everything you've done for me over the past couple of weeks. You know it means a lot to me."

Adrienne leads Danielle into the room and they walk towards the doors which overlook the patio. "I just want to see you happy. So does your father."

"I know. And I want to see you happy. That's why I think you and Dad should spend a weekend away together."

The idea shakes Adrienne who tries to sound less disgusted at the thought than she actually is. "No I…"

"Don't start the martyr act Mom. I'll be fine here on my own so I really don't see what's keeping you here. Go to the mountains. Carmel, Big Bear, I don't know. Just spend some quality time together. At least someone can have a functional love life around here." Danielle grins.

"If you really want us to go…"

"No I don't want you to go." Danielle waves a hand. "I want you to work at getting your marriage back on track."

"Oh." Adrienne nods her head, understandingly. "This is about what Julia said isn't it? You don't need to worry about that."

"Oh Mom!" Danielle groans in frustration. "Just call Dad already and arrange the trip!"

"Alright." Adrienne replies reluctantly. "I'll do it now."

Four Seasons Resort: Santa Barbara

"Well it's nice that we finally got here even if my mother did have to pay for it." Guy rests his head down on the sun lounger by the pool and closes his eyes, sighing as the warm rays of the sun soak into his body.

Cassie takes a sip from her cocktail and furrowing her brow, she tips it into a plant pot by her side, keeping her eyes on the hotel workers to make sure they aren't watching her. Lucas is resting on her lap, fully clothed unlike his parents. "It's certainly a far cry from the cheap motel we were going to stay in before." Cassie finally replies.

"Hmm."

"What do you think Jake's doing right now?"

"Licking his wounds." Guy turns and sits up to face his wife. "I don't think he'll try messing with us again that's for sure."

"We're kind of evil aren't we." Cassie strokes Lucas's head.

"I don't think so. No more than he is. We only did what was right for Lucas." Swinging his legs round, Guy takes a seated position and holds out a finger to Lucas who wraps his tiny hand around it.

"You're right. No more guilt. We need to enjoy this trip." Cassie grins and her tone changes. "How do you feel about going up to our room for a while?"

"Sure, if you think Lucas is getting too hot out here…"

"No you big himbo. I meant without Lucas. I thought we could leave him with one of the hotel babysitters."

"Oh." It suddenly hits Guy what she is alluding to. "I see what you mean. Let's go." He gets up from the lounger and walks across the hot terracotta tiles towards reception followed by Cassie.

Madison Central Sanitarium: San Francisco

The lawn is filled with many of the patients, enjoying the glorious day of sunshine. Stephanie feels out of place as she surveys the people around her. Some are catatonic, others still have murderous tendencies and they are all integrated together. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only sane one. Stephanie thinks with a wistful smile.

Across the lush green grass, she notices Carrie Bishop sat under the shade of a tree, knitting silently. Taking the opportunity whilst there are no doctors around, Stephanie approaches her.

"Hi Carrie. I missed you in the recreation room last night. I guess you felt ill or something."

"No." Carrie looks up for a moment from the white woolen cardigan she is finishing. It looks small enough for a baby.

"Oh?" Stephanie sits down next to her and traces her finger across the grass, waiting for the younger woman to continue.

"I was with somebody else. Someone special."

"Who was that?"

Carrie shakes her head. "I can't say. He's warned me not to say."

"You don't need to worry. I won't tell anyone. We're friends."

"I don't know."

Stephanie continues to coax her, "He must be a very special man. You obviously care for him deeply if you want to keep his trust so badly."

She finally seems to have gotten through to Carrie who flings her work to the ground and stares ahead dreamily, her arm movements becoming more animated. "He is special. He's the most wonderful man I've ever met in my life."

"Wow. Are you in love?"

"He says he loves me. He wants to leave his wife for me one day but he says that can only happen if no one finds out about us."

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind me knowing. It must be somebody that works here, one of the guards perhaps?"

"No." Carrie wrinkles her nose in distaste. "The guards scare me. Alright I'll tell you who it is as long as you promise to keep it a secret."

"Okay."

"Cross your heart and hope to die?"

Becoming weary, Stephanie replies through slightly gritted teeth. "Cross my heart and hope to die."

"Good." Carrie leans across and whispers into Stephanie's ear. "It's Dr Bryce."

Not wanting to raise suspicion, Stephanie feigns surprise. "Dr Bryce? I never would have guessed."

"Well you can't tell anybody." Carrie warns again.

"I won't."

"Grainger!" One of the guards yells across the lawn as he heads towards Stephanie. All of the patients seem to turn to look at her.

"Oh my God he knows!" Carrie squeals.

"No he doesn't know." Stephanie snaps back and stands up, brushing dirt off her uniform. "What is it sir?"

"Come with me." The guard takes her arm roughly and leads her back towards the main building. She turns to see Carrie watching in horror and tries to guess what could possibly have lead to this.

"Have I done something?" Stephanie sounds as innocent as possible.

"You've done something alright. Keep up!" The guard growls at her and she begins to feel light headed. They reach the corridor that leads to her room and there are several members of the institution's staff standing outside, including Dr Bryce.

"Stephanie." Dr Bryce greets her solemnly as the guard steps behind her and pins her arms together tightly.

"What? What is it?"

"Take a look what we found."

Stephanie manages to maneuver herself into the doorway and gasps when she sees Nurse Bauer holding up a large kitchen knife. "No!" She screams.

"We found it under your bed and I think you owe us an explanation."