"Make me pay?" Stephanie chokes on her words and moves back as far as she can against the cold plaster wall. "I didn't say anything…"

"Shut up!" Carrie spits and moves an arm around from behind her back. She holds a knitting needle in front of her menacingly and advances towards her prey. With each step, her arm seems to jolt, constantly drawing Stephanie's attention to the weapon she is holding.

"Please, let's talk about this."

"There's nothing to talk about. You poisoned his mind against me and ruined my life. Now I'm going to kill you."

"Where did you get the needle from? You're not supposed to have real ones. You don't want to get into trouble do you Carrie? Do you?" Stephanie shouts the last words and jumps down from her bed holding her hands out in front of her. She moves her feet lightly, stepping sideways unaware of what Carrie's next move will be.

"Dr Bryce gave it to me. He said I deserve to have the best."

"He gave it to you to knit with not to kill people!" Stephanie tries to make the dangerous woman see sense. "Can't you see what will happen to you if you kill me? You'll be locked up in here for the rest of your life! You've been doing so well lately, surely you don't want that…"

Carrie cuts her off, her voice sounding almost inhuman. "I've been doing well because of Dr Bryce. Because I loved him and he loved me! That's all I ever wanted! To be loved. And you spoilt everything by opening your big…fat…mouth." Emphasizing every word, Carrie makes stabbing motions with the needle and Stephanie almost whimpers.

"Just put it down. Please." Stephanie's eyes move to the door in the hope that a guard will hear the commotion and run inside. Please God…

"No I won't put it down. I'm going to use this needle to make you feel the pain I did when Dr Bryce dumped me. An eye for an eye Stephanie…" Trailing her voice off, Carrie lunges forwards preparing to thrust the needle into Stephanie's face.

Moving instinctively, Stephanie grabs Carrie's arm and holds it, attempting to force her to release the weapon. As she fights for her life, she looks into Carrie's eyes and sees raw unparalleled hatred. The hatred that Stephanie herself felt only months ago.

"I'm going to kill you!" Carrie screams as Stephanie forces her towards the metal frame of the bed. They wrestle desperately for the knife, Stephanie trying to keep it as great a distance away from her as possible.

"Carrie just let go!" Stephanie feels a sharp pain as Carrie uses her free hand to pull her hair and yank her head back but ignores it, keeping all her attention on the needle. Adrenaline rushing through her entire body, Stephanie summons all her strength and smashes Carrie's arm down on the foot of the metal bed. There is a cracking sound and Stephanie repeats the action until the needle drops to the floor.

Shoving Carrie away, Stephanie drops to the floor and scrambles to get the needle. As she hears Carrie screaming, the door flies open and two guards rush in restraining her.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Stephanie turns and watches as they drag her out of the room, her arms and legs flailing. "I hate you! I hate you!"

The sound of Carrie's screams fill the room, slowly decreasing in volume as she is dragged down the corridor. Stephanie wipes sweat from her brow as Dr Bryce enters. "Why didn't the guards come in earlier? You stopped them didn't you? You wanted her to kill me!" Stephanie is taken aback.

"You caused all of this." Dr Bryce replies smugly. "If it wasn't for your blackmail campaign against me, none of this ever would have happened."

"No don't you blame this on me." Stephanie wonders if he notices the needle she is holding before forming her retort. "This is your fault for being a perverted bastard and abusing your position of trust."

"Don't be so high and mighty." Dr Bryce shuts the door, worried that others might hear her accusations. "You're the attempted murderer, not me."

"But I'm getting out. You're going to have to stay here and face what you've done every day."

Dr Bryce seems complacent, "It won't be too difficult."

"You disgust me. And so help me God if Carrie Bishop suffers a setback because of what you've done to her then I'll tell your wife everything. I'll nail your ass to the wall like the vermin you are and watch you squirm."

Wheeler Estate: Napa Valley

"It's late for a visit Mom." Lauren seems surprised as Isabelle enters the living room, her face pale.

"I had to tell you something. It's about Mindy." Isabelle glances over at John, wondering whether he should hear what she has to say.

"It's alright." John assures her and gets up from the sofa to fix himself another drink. A much needed one. "I know everything."

"Good. I'm glad. What I have to say is…I visited Bobby Santadio this evening. You know…Donna's father."

Lauren raises an eyebrow, "What's he got to do with all of this?"

"Bobby Santadio is a man of dubious morality and even more questionable business ethics. To be blunt, he's uh…involved in organized crime."

"What?" John almost drops his glass to the ground. "And you visited him?"

"I felt I had to. I think you should stay away from the hospital for a while because I asked him a favor…To help get rid of Mindy."

Lauren absorbs the information and watches Isabelle closely as she drops down into a seat and accepts a drink, which John offers her. The idea that her mother would involve herself with organized crime is too preposterous to imagine. "When you say get rid of…what do you mean?" There is a hint of fear in Lauren's voice and it is not missed by John who glances quickly at his mother-in-law.

"Let's just say I've paid him well and he'll do whatever it takes to get Mindy out of our lives for good."

San Francisco General Hospital: San Francisco

"John?" Mindy mumbles as she awakes from her slumber and notices a shadowy figure standing rigidly by the door. There is something on the ground by his side. Something big.

"No. My name's Bart. I'm here to take you down for another x-ray." The man steps out of the shadows and reveals himself to be a hospital orderly. He is muscular and wearing a white t-shirt and pants. The regulation uniform for orderlies. He pulls a wheelchair over to the bed.

"An x-ray? At this time of night? Who ordered it?" Mindy rubs her eyes wearily.

"Dr Nunouz." The man seems convincing and puts his hands under Mindy's legs, easing her round. "He was concerned by some of the results of the last set."

"He told me everything was fine." Mindy makes her resistance clear and notices a glint of frustration in the orderly's eyes.

"That's not what he told me. Are you coming or not?"

"If I must…Bart." Mindy looks at the name tag he is wearing on his t-shirt and shrugs before lowering herself into the wheelchair. "I don't need this you know. I can walk perfectly well."

"It's hospital policy ma'am. We don't want you getting over exerted do we?" He says in Mindy's ear.

"No I don't." She snaps testily and places her hands in her lap as Bart wheels her down the corridor. They pass the empty nurse's station and go to the elevator which arrives relatively quickly.

Mindy is wheeled inside and watches Bart carefully. She frowns when he pushes the button for the basement. "That's too far down. What are you doing?" She demands, her concern all too apparent.

"I'm just doing my job Miss Stewart." Bart smiles and the doors open revealing the dark, brick walled basement.

"Who put you up to this? Was it Lauren? Isabelle?" Mindy thrashes her arms against the side of the wheel chair trying to hit the brake so she can stand up and run away. "I'm not supposed to be here!"

"Shut up." Bart warns her and she feels a sharp instrument pressing against her neck.

"What are you doing to do to me?" She cries, moving her eyes around to see the man holding a syringe. He does not answer before he inserts the needle into her neck and allows the drugs to enter Mindy's blood stream. They act almost immediately and Mindy slumps forwards in the chair, unconscious.

After tapping her face to make sure she is not faking, Bart hauls her out of the chair and puts her over his shoulder before abandoning the wheel chair and carrying Mindy through the eerie basement.

Private Airstrip: San Francisco

"Why did we have to come so early in the morning?" Danielle yawns as the black limousine she is travelling in slowly comes to a halt. She widens her eyes, impressed by the majestic Masters jet waiting ready on the runway.

"Because there's an eight hour time difference. We want to get there at a reasonable time."

"But I'm tired." Danielle complains as she struggles to pull herself out of the limousine and Greg laughs at her half-heartedness.

"You can sleep on the plane." He soothes her and leads her across the hot tarmac towards it. They silently make their way up the steps before walking inside.

"How come you never let me on here before?" The various gadgets and luxuries on board command Danielle's attention.

"Because you were too young. You would have run riot and I didn't want anything getting damaged." Greg signs a piece of paper the pilot holds out in front of him.

"Boys and their toys." Danielle rolls her eyes before finding a comfortable cream leather seat to throw herself on. Greg winces at the impact and dismisses the pilot who heads up towards the front of the plane.

"I knew I couldn't control you. Do you want anything to drink before we set off?" Greg asks her considerately and opens up a small fridge, pulling out a bottle of mineral water.

Danielle's smile fades. "To be honest I'm too nervous to drink anything. My stomach is tied up in knots already just thinking about confronting Courtney."

"We don't have to do this you know." Greg assures her and pushes the fridge door shut.

"No I do. I have to finish with Courtney on my terms."

Warehouse: San Francisco

Mindy's eyes open suddenly but her vision seems to be blurred. She looks down and sees that she is still wearing her night gown but senses that she is no longer in the hospital. As her clouded vision becomes clearer, she spies several small windows situated below the high ceiling. There are also many tattered boxes stacked against the walls and in the distance she can see a man watching her.

Bart.

"Why did you bring me here?" She tries to pull herself out of her seat but her hands are tied.

"I've got a message for you." As Bart steps closer, Mindy notices that he is holding a gun and gasps.

"What's the matter?" Bart holds the gun up. "You don't approve? I thought you liked guns Mindy. I heard you like them so much you got a little trigger happy at the last Wheeler shindig."

"Please don't shoot me." She begs, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks.

"Oh quit your whining. You are one annoying bitch you know that? I couldn't wait to knock you out last night just to shut you up."

"I just don't want to you to kill me. I've got a son…"

"You think I don't know?" Bart cuts her off and moves to her side stroking her dampened cheek with the barrel of the gun he is holding. She stiffens as she feels the metal rubbing against her skin. "I know everything about you Mindy. Everything."

"From who? Who told you about me?"

"My boss." Bart moves away from her.

"And who's your boss? As if I have to ask. Which Wheeler witch set you on me?"

"My boss ain't no lady." Bart spins around amused by her summation. "He's a man."

"A man?" Mindy is bemused. "I don’t understand."

"Well luckily you don't have to. Not about that anyway. The only thing you have to understand is the warning I have for you."

"What warning?" Mindy shakes her head to get her disheveled hair out of her eyes.

"You don't have to die. If you want to stay alive, you go back to your hotel, pack and then fly back to Los Angeles. You won't hassle the Wheelers any more."

"But what about my son? What kind of message is that?"

"I'm telling you what I have to. Do or die. It's up to you."

Elliott House: San Francisco

"Take care." The blond haired youth holds out a wad of cash which is eagerly accepted by the cab driver and heads up the driveway, his bag hoisted over his back. Slipping a key into the lock, he steps inside and sets his bag down on the ground before heading to the kitchen where he can smell a pot of fresh coffee brewing.

"Tommy!" David cries out when he sees his son and jumps up from his chair to put an arm around him. He pats his back heartily before releasing him. "Why are you home? I wasn't expecting you."

"You seriously don't know? Oh good I'm starving." Tommy notices a slice of toast on a plate and grabs it before taking a huge bite.

"No I don't know. It's not your mother again is it? She's not playing tricks to get you home?"

"She's not playing tricks." Tommy replies wearily. His father is exhibiting exactly the attitude he had expected. "Her parole hearing is in a couple of days. I can't believe you don't know…"

"Parole hearing?" David is flustered. "It's actually going ahead?"

Tommy munches on his toast. "Yep. Why shouldn't it? You haven't pulled anything have you?"

"No of course not." David decides to change the subject before he is questioned even more. "So why have you come back here? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you did but I thought you would have gone back to the apartment at Tuscedero."

"I can't. It's being used."

"Used? By who?"

"Uncle Mark. He called us at the hotel in Sydney and said that he needed to stay there. He's coming home too."

"Great." David says with sarcasm and throws his hands in the air. "First your loony mother and now her partner in crime."

"He is not her partner in crime. You barely know him Dad so stop passing judgement." Tommy glances round and sees that the coffee has finished brewing. David notices too and goes to get himself a cup.

"You want some?"

"Yeah I could use all the caffeine I can get." Tommy replies.

"Tell me about it."

Wheeler Estate: Napa Valley

"What time are you going to the hospital?" Lauren calls out to John as he exits the bedroom and makes his way across the landing. She sighs at him leaving and gets up to follow him.

"Now. I'm just going to get Adam and then I'm heading over there."

Nodding to herself, Lauren adjusts her watch and primps her hair as she trots down the staircase. She can hear a noise outside on the driveway and goes to open the door.

"Jessica?" She calls out in disbelief. Lauren hasn't been expecting her to come back for another month.

"Yep. It's me!" Jessica beams and drops her luggage to the floor as her cab drives away. Giggling, she rushes forwards with open arms and embraces her aunt.

"Why didn't you call me? I could have picked you up from the airport." Lauren scolds her.

"I didn't want to trouble anyone." Jessica grins sheepishly and pulls away before hauling her luggage into the hallway and shutting the door. "I hear things have been a bit hectic around here recently."

"Aren't they always?" Lauren sighs and turns when she hears John coming down the stairs.

"Who's this little guy?" A bemused Jessica reaches out to shake Adam's hand and he smiles.

"He's my son." John replies proudly hoping that somebody else has already filled her in on the details.

"Oh Mom told me about that." Jessica notices Lauren's stony expression and changes the subject. "I'm sorry are you going somewhere?"

"Yeah I'm afraid so. We better make a move." Opening the front door, John picks Adam up and walks down the driveway turning to call out to Jessica. "It's good to have you back!"

"Thanks." Jessica waves and shuts the door, following Lauren who has made her way to the kitchen. "Is Mom here?"

"No." Lauren replies, busying herself with pouring a glass of chilled water for her niece. She sets the glass down in front of Jessica before pulling up a stool and continuing. "Julia's gone off to New York for a quickie wedding. I thought she might have told you…"

"She called and said she was engaged. She didn't see fit to mention that the wedding was going to be so soon. We haven't talked too much recently. Mom's still bitter about me not coming home a couple of weeks ago."

"Uh oh." Lauren says sympathetically. "And now you've come back for Stephanie's parole hearing…"

"Yep." Jessica nods her head feeling that they are both on the same wavelength.

"How do you feel about that by the way? Are you going to address the parole board?"

Jessica takes a sip of water and her expression hardens. "I can't, it just wouldn't be right. But no matter how much I try to support Tommy, I can't stop remembering what happened on the day of your wedding."

Donna's Apartment: San Francisco

"Oh for God's sake." Donna groans, hearing the phone ring and grabbing her nightgown, she slips out of bed to go and answer it. Michael turns over and attempts to ignore the intrusion.

Tying the cord of her nightgown and cursing under her breath, Donna picks up the phone. "Hello. Donna Hanson speaking."

"Donella?" A slightly accented male voice replies.

Donna's eyes widen and she lowers her voice, "Who is this?"

"You don't recognize me?" The man chuckles. "It's Giorgio Lancuzio. Bobby's lawyer."

"What are you doing calling me here? How did you get my number?"

"Relax. Your father gave it to me."

"Well if it's him you want to talk to, you've got the wrong number." Donna responds curtly.

"I know. I tried the apartment but he's not there. I wondered if he was on his way back to New York. I must speak to him right away."

"What about?" Donna runs a hand through her tangled hair and leans against the table.

"Your father owes the Beretti family a lot of money. He said he could get it in California but if he doesn't come home soon…"

"Hold on." Donna interrupts and holds up her hand as if she is trying to stop a speeding train. "My father is in financial trouble?"

"Not exactly. He was in on a deal with the Beretti family last year which went bad. They are demanding that he pay them back the money they lost."

"There is plenty of Santadio money. Don't tell me it's gone."

"No it's not gone. The IRS froze all of the Santadio assets over a month ago. You see it's not just the Beretti family that your father owes money to. But if he succeeds in raising it in California, then he will be home and dry."

"All I can tell you is that he has been here but I have no idea where he is now. And I'd prefer it Giorgio if you never called me again." With that, Donna slams the phone down into its cradle and rushes back to the bedroom. "Michael!"

"What?" He wakes with a start and sits up in bed, adjusting pillows to support himself.

"That was my father's lawyer on the phone." Donna begins to pace the room. "He's got me worried."

"What about?"

"Apparently Bobby's in financial trouble and he came to California to try and remedy his problems. Doesn't it seem a little suspicious to you that he has involved himself with Julia? A woman who owns fifty per cent of the Wheeler Corporation?"

His interested piqued, Michael thinks to himself for a moment before replying. "You have to call Julia." He warns. "She has to know that she could be in danger. If Bobby is planning on killing her after the wedding and he persuades her to change her will…"

"Oh God. I'll call her now." Donna runs down the hallway and back to the phone which she fumbles to switch on. She dials a number and taps the console table impatiently as Michael makes his way towards her. "Jessica?"

"Yes. Hi Donna. How's it going?"

"Not so good."

"Oh that's too bad because I was hoping to get in contact with you soon to discuss the progress of the STD clinic…"

"I'm sorry." Donna cuts her off becoming increasingly flustered. "Is Julia there?"

"Mom?" Jessica is clearly surprised and is taken aback that Donna is not aware of what is happening. "No, she's on her way to the airport to marry your father! Don't tell me you were left in the dark too."

"I don't believe this." Horrified, Donna rubs her forehead. "Are they taking the Wheeler jet or a commercial flight?"

"The jet but…"

"I've gotta go." Hastily ending the call, Donna drops the phone down and addresses Michael. "They're getting married! We've got to stop them."

Tuscedero Apartments: Napa Valley

"Here we go." Mark says with a sigh as he drops his luggage to the ground and takes a look around the apartment. "Just the same…Great I'm talking to myself. The first sign of…uh oh. Not another one."

His attention is drawn to the telephone and he picks it up to see if the apartment is still connected. Luckily it is and Mark decides to use the opportunity to make a call. "Hi could I speak to Stephanie Elliott please? It's her brother Mark Fielding."

"Please hold." Dr Bryce replies testily arousing Mark's suspicions.

There is a short beeping sound before Stephanie speaks. "Mark? Oh it's so good to speak to you again. Are you back in Napa?"

"Yeah just like you asked."

"Is Brooke with you?" Stephanie's tone is an obvious indication of what she wants the answer to be.

"No she had other commitments. I have to go back to Los Angeles after the hearing but I'll be back in time for your release."

"If I get released." Stephanie replies pessimistically.

"Of course you will. Especially seeing as you didn't kill Jake."

"Well David's tried his best to keep me locked up in here. He's even resorted to bribery."

"What?" Mark is stunned. "I wouldn't have even expected David to sink that low. It didn't work I take it."

Stephanie sighs, "No. I managed to work my way out of a tricky situation. I take it Tommy's home too."

"I'm not sure but he called me and told me he would be back. If he is I expect he'll come and visit you soon."

"Good." The sound of shouting can be heard inside the sanitarium and Mark raises an eyebrow. "Okay look I've got to go. Someone else wants to use the phone. Talk to you later."

"Right. Bye." Mark puts the phone down and glances round to take another look at the apartment. He begins to wonder why he has kept the place for so long. After all it has never been his true home. It was Morgan's.

The furniture and the décor are all exactly the same as they were when Morgan lived here. But Mark hopes that if he does choose to stay in the apartment, he will have a less eventful time than he did before. This was the apartment where Morgan was terrorized and where he found out that Stephanie is his sister…

"I thought she was deranged." Mark rubs his chin pensively. "At least now I can make amends…with Stephanie at least."

Wheeler Corporation: San Francisco

"Hey bro." Jessica bursts into Jake's office and interrupts him in the middle of a phone call. His mouth drops open when he sees her and he quickly makes excuses to end the call.

"Jessie?" He jumps up from his seat and runs over to her, giving her a lingering embrace. "You kept quiet about coming home!"

"I did? Good. At least that means I didn't scare Mom into going off to New York."

"You heard about that." Jake grimaces.

"Did you not expect me to notice that she wasn't here? Mom isn't exactly a wallflower. We all know when she's around Jake."

He shrugs nonchalantly, "I don't know what to say. She's getting married and she only told me a couple of hours ago."

"You know." Jessica clasps her hands together, "I try to convince myself I'm part of a normal family but it never seems to work."

"Normal is boring."

"And how about Cassie? I've been filled in on some your more recent stunts."

"Stunts? What happened to you in Australia? You've gotten as snappy as a venus flytrap."

It is Jessica's turn to shrug, "I wised up, what can I say? So are you going to answer my question?"

Jake moves back round behind his desk and sits down again. He joins his hands at the fingertips as she comes up with a response. "Cassie married me for my money, cheated on me and left me for my uncle. She is only getting what she deserves."

"Did she really hurt you?"

"You're damn right she did. And now I'm going to hurt her."

Jessica rolls her eyes and Jake can see that she believes him to be bluffing. If only she knew… He thinks to himself.

Private Airstrip: San Francisco

The sound of screeching brakes almost drowns out the aircraft engines and as soon as the car has come to a halt, Michael and Donna jump out. They run towards the controller booth, Donna slightly ahead, spurred on by her eagerness to stop Julia from making the biggest mistake of her life.

"We need help." She announces breathlessly grabbing the attention of a confused controller.

"What is it?" He pushes his chair behind him and stands up, feeling the sense of emergency.

"There was a flight scheduled to leave here for Bobby Santadio and Julia Wheeler." Michael addresses him, keeping his voice calm. "We need to talk to Mrs Wheeler."

"You can't." The controller replies.

Donna frowns, "Don't tell me…"

The controller cuts her off, "Yes I'm sorry. The plane has already left for New York."