Curled up on the sofa with her legs folded at her sides, Lauren silently flicks through the pages of the novel she is reading. But no matter how many times she tries to concentrate, the words refuse to make sense. Tired of reading the same paragraph over and over, she puts the book down on the ground and looks up at an antique clock on the wall in front of her. 11pm.

Before Lauren can decide upon her next move, she hears the faint sound of the front door opening and jumps up. "John? John, is that you?"

"Sorry. You're out of luck." Julia appears in the doorway. The dim light in the living room casts shadows on her face but Lauren can tell she is not smiling.

"Oh I wondered what happened to you. Where have you been all day? The police were wanting to talk to you about Jake." Lauren delicately uses a finger to push her hair behind her ears.

"At the office. And if the police want to harass me, they can wait until I'm ready. No doubt Cassie's been filling their heads with her ridiculous theories." Almost spitting the words, Julia steps into the room and sets her purse down on a polished mahogany table.

Lauren sighs, "I don't want to get caught up in this feud between you two but I think she has good reason to be suspicious. You're no paragon of virtue."

"I never said I was. All I did say…about a thousand times already was that I have no idea where Jake is. I am just as worried about his whereabouts as Cassie is about Lucas's. Anyhow, that girl screwed up Jake's life and now she's just getting a taste of her own medicine."

"Oh please." Lauren scoffs and holds up a hand. "No matter what Cassie did…even you can't condone Jake kidnapping her child. And it is her child, not his."

"It could have been his! It would have been if Cassie wasn't sleeping with his uncle. I guess you could say the paternity of the child…was like pot luck."

"That's rich." Lauren laughs disdainfully. "And anyway, whatever spin you put on the situation, their marriage was a sham from the beginning. Cassie wouldn't ever have risked getting pregnant by Jake."

"If that's the way she felt then she shouldn't have married him."

Lauren moves forwards and looks to the ceiling in frustration, "The girl made a mistake! Don't you think Jake's made her pay for it enough?"

"What, by letting her end up with a loving husband and beautiful baby boy? Jake was left with nothing because of her except for a broken heart."

"Committing a crime…because that's what kidnapping is…won't make his life any better. If he doesn't give himself up, he is going to spend the rest of his life constantly looking over his shoulder. Cassie and Guy are not going to rest until they find him."

"Neither am I. He's my baby and he took off without even telling me. Can you imagine how much that hurts?"

"He's not a baby Julia, he's a grown man. A grown man who is going to be held responsible for his actions."

"You're mind's closed isn't it?" Julia shakes her head. "You refuse to see anybody else's point of view but Cassie's. Well I guess I should have expected that of you because you're part of that side of the family. The good side…leaders of the self righteous way. But you're all hypocrites. Every last one of you."

"Julia…" Lauren calls out to the older woman and her eyes widen in disbelief.

"I don't want to hear it." Julia snaps and picking up her purse, she storms out of the room leaving nothing but eerie silence in her wake.

I can't believe that woman. Lauren thinks to herself before John suddenly re-enters her mind. He's still not home and it was left to her to put Adam to bed despite him wanting his father to read him a story. What fun it was trying to explain that one away. "Where are you John?"

Red Store Bar: San Francisco

Crooking his head over a half empty glass of scotch, John is sat on a high stool at the bar which is laden with empty bottles and stale smelling ashtrays. The décor is slightly more modern than the rest of the establishment with varnished wooden floors and deep red walls. A few other patrons are giggling in the corner having been forced to leave the now closed restaurant.

"Have I seen you somewhere before?" A female voice sounds across the bar and John looks up with a smile. It comes from a waitress. She appears to be about twenty five with blue eyes and cascading blonde hair which is curled slightly. But of course in John's opinion, her best assets are lower down.

"I don't think we have. Perhaps you've seen me in a movie. I'm an actor."

"Ooh." The waitress coos and her eyes light up excitedly. "What movies have you been in? My name's Tanya by the way."

"Nice to meet you Tanya. I've been in a couple. Horror films mostly. I also made an ad for indigestion tablets which was on TV recently."

"That was you?"

"Yeah." John replies proudly, unable to suppress his grin.

"Wow! So what are you doing all on your lonesome? You must have dozens of women trying to snare you."

"Actually…" John looks down at his hand and his wedding band catches his eye. It is not long before he notices Tanya staring at it too.

"So you're a married one." She leans forwards across the bar causing her hair to fall around her face. "That doesn't bother me if it doesn't bother you."

John exhales slowly, keeping eye contact with her. "Are you like this with every man who comes in here?"

"No. But there's something special about you. I'd like to get to know you better if you'd give me the chance."

"I'd be crazy not too. You're a…very attractive woman."

Tanya leans even closer to him and as she whispers, he feels her warm breath on his ear. "Then act on your impulse."

"You don't know what my impulse is."

"Not to get up and leave, I bet."

"Okay okay okay." John gently pushes her away and drops his palms onto the cool oak bar. "Do you always flirt like this? I thought there were rules..."

"You know what they say about rules. Besides, my boss isn't here tonight. I'm closing up by myself."

"What time do you get off?"

Tanya's maroon colored lips curl into a smile, "So you are interested? I finish at one. You still going to be around then?"

Grinning, John shrugs, "I don't have any better offers. Should I meet you here or…?"

"No. You can meet me at my apartment. Hold on and I'll write down the address for you." Moving her hand out of John's vision for a moment, Tanya pulls a piece of paper and a pen out from under the bar. She leans over and writes the information down, eventually handing the note over.

"Looking forward to it." John murmurs as he folds the piece of paper and tucks it in the back pocket of his dark denim jeans.

Tanya merely smiles as he leaves the bar and moves around, picking up empty glasses. When John steps outside onto the sidewalk, a cold blast of air hits his face, making him pull his jacket tighter around him. As he does so, he turns and looks back through the window of the restaurant to see Tanya chatting animatedly with another customer.

"I love Lauren. This is a fresh start."

A fresh start. The words begin to rattle around John's head and his attention moves to Lauren, his wife. Almost without thinking, John retrieves Tanya's address from his pocket and tears the piece of paper in two, dropping the haggard remnants onto the ground before walking away.

Beverly Hills Hotel: Los Angeles

As soon as Jake steps into the marble lined foyer of the hotel, his senses become more alert. Driving through LA and walking along the streets made him feel like just another anonymous person, sheltered from the possibility of being caught. But now he is standing with Lucas in his arms and can't shake off the feeling of nakedness that envelopes him.

With a great deal of courage, he makes his first step into the crowd of guests and keeps his head down as he moves towards the front desk. Lucas is thankfully remaining silent despite the ringing bells and frenzied movements of porter's pulling luggage trolleys.

"Excuse me. I booked a suite yesterday evening. I'm here to check in." Jake's voice is almost a whisper but the middle aged woman behind the check-in desk seems to hear him perfectly.

"Can I take your name please, sir?"

"Brian Taylor. I'm paying by cash so you might not have all my details."

The woman raises an eyebrow slightly at the unusual occurrence. "I'm sure we can sort the matter out when you leave. Let me just get your key card." She pivots round and steps into a small room where the card must be.

Jake puts his free hand to his face self consciously and notices the woman talking earnestly to a younger girl. She seems to be in her late twenties although the hotel uniform makes it difficult to tell. Her blonde hair reaches down to her shoulders and frames a delicate but flawless face.

What are they doing? Jake thinks to himself but his heart ceases to pound when the two women laugh over what must be some misunderstanding with the card. After a few seconds, the older of the two returns smiling. "I'm sorry Mr Taylor. There was a mix up with the keys. I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long."

"Not at all." Jake replies instantly, taking the shiny white card from her and running his bands nervously over the holes which cover it.

"Would you like me to call a porter for your bags?"

Jake flinches, "No I don't have any. I'll just go straight to my room if you don't mind."

"Of course."

Thankful that the hardest part of the process seems to be out of the way, Jake breathes in and swiftly moves across the foyer to the elevator, only exhaling when he is safely inside.

At the desk, the woman who has checked him in turns to her younger assistant. "A little strange Amanda, don't you think?"

"Yes." Amanda replies pensively, biting on her bottom lip. She appears to know more than she is letting on but her colleague fails to pick up on it. "Very strange indeed."

Elliott House: San Francisco

The early morning breeze tickles Kyle's face as he jogs the last few yards back to the Elliott house. Doctors warned him to rest after his head injury but the only way he can function properly is if he starts the day with a morning run. It blows away the cobwebs…

Faltering slightly as he turns the corner into the driveway, he picks up a rolled up newspaper which has been tossed haphazardly onto the front lawn. "Depressing…boring…depressing…" He says to himself dismissively, glancing briefly over the features on the front page as he reaches the front door. Before he is able to search for his key, the door is yanked open forcefully to reveal Stephanie.

"Eager to see me?" He smiles and hands her the newspaper without waiting for a reply. Once inside the living room, a dizzying feeling comes over him and he proceeds to warm down, unaware that Stephanie has followed him.

His words are lost on her and she steps into the room almost mechanically, her brilliant blue eyes glazed over. "The hospital called." The words are uneasy on her lips.

"When? What did they say?" Kyle immediately stops his exercises and turns to face her. The silent pause is almost unbearable for him and he puts a hand on her arm. "Stephanie?"

"David woke up from his coma this morning. They…they thought we should know."

"That's great news." Kyle instinctively puts his arms around Stephanie and hugs her tightly but she remains unresponsive, her body flopping like a rag doll. "Aren't you pleased?"

"Yes, of course I am. It's just…a bit of a shock I suppose."

He releases her from his grip and surveys her face suspiciously, "At least it's a pleasant one. I should get to the hospital right away. Is Tommy already there?"

Stephanie nods, "He took David's car. You can use mine if you like." She points absent mindedly in the direction of the garage.

"I better get changed first. Aren't you going to come with me?" Kyle moves towards the stairs and looks back at her expectantly.

"No." Stephanie's answer is firm. "Too much has happened. I can't face him. Not yet."

Guy and Cassie's House: Napa Valley

The house is almost silent as Michael, Cassie and Guy sit around the pine kitchen table, the hands of all of them resting on its surface. In the center, the focus of their attention is a cordless telephone which seems to be mocking them in its determinedness not to ring.

Cassie cannot bear to look at it any longer and whipping her head round, she speaks, "It was nice of you to come Michael even if Donna couldn't make it. We don't see you often enough."

"Donna was supposed to meet me here. I guess she got held up somewhere. Anyway I…" The look of discomfort on his face is unmistakable and he feels guilty immediately for it. "This has made me realize that I perhaps don't spend as much time with you both as I should. I think we've all been given pause for thought over the last few days."

"Tell me about it." Guy mutters and rubs his weary face.

"I haven't been able to do anything but think." Cassie interjects. "I can't…I can't function properly. If I try to sleep, my stomach gets tied up in a knot. If I try to eat, I can't seem to force the food down. I miss Lucas so much I feel sick."

Michael touches Cassie's shoulder comfortingly and she places her hand on his. "You know Lucas will be alright don't you? Jake isn't crazy. He'd never do anything to hurt that child."

"That's easy to say." Cassie scoffs. "But he could do anything if he thought he was getting revenge on me. Lucas is the most precious thing in my life. If Jake takes him away from me for good…"

"That's not going to happen. You have to trust me. The family is doing everything in their power to find the both of them, safe and sound."

"He's right." Guy offers. "Jake can't stay on the run for long."

"If I'd never gone to Cleveland with Lauren. If she'd never wanted me to help look for her damn…" Suddenly realizing what she is saying, Cassie looks up to see Guy's warning gaze on her. She clears her throat delicately, "I shouldn't have put business over my child."

Michael feels even more foolish with every comforting sentence he utters but there is nothing else he can do. "Nobody blames you. You weren't to know this would happen. The only person to blame for this is Jake."

Pushing back her chair noisily, Cassie rises from it, "I need some air. I'm going outside." She takes the phone from the table and clutches it to her chest as she opens french windows, stepping into the garden.

"I'm so worried about her." Guy stares after his wife and shakes his head.

"Her behavior's understandable." Michael puts a finger to his chin and rubs it lightly.

"But it's not like her. She's usually so strong…so forceful."

"I think she still is. She's just frustrated that she can't do anything with her energy. She wouldn't know where to start looking for Lucas…But I've been thinking…"

"Yeah?" Guy looks up and his body becomes rigid.

"When we all thought Jake was…dead…Didn't he say he spent his whole time in Oakland? Have you thought of trying there?"

"I mentioned it to the police but that's all really."

"Well the police might not be able to turn every stone. I'm going to hire a private detective. Maybe he can dig something up."

"Thanks." Guy smiles for a moment. It is brief but warm nevertheless. "Anything we can do is worth it."

Masters Mansion: San Francisco

Closing the bedroom door behind her, Isabelle sets off down the hallway and adjusts her watch as she moves. Only an hour until she has to meet Mark and she isn't looking forward to it one bit. She has to find a way to stop him from writing that damn book.

As she turns a corner, Isabelle sees a ladder hanging down from the ceiling which leads up to the attic. "Greg?" She calls out bemused but there is no answer. Rolling her eyes, she decides to ascend the ladder and carefully places her foot on the bottom rung, proceeding to climb.

Once she pulls herself into the attic, she dusts herself down and takes a look around to catch a glimpse of whoever is up here. Very little has been done to make the space accommodating and it is filled with musty old boxes containing memories of years past. The only light comes from a large semi-circular window although a layer of dust seems to cover it and Isabelle sniffs disapprovingly.

Balancing herself on the wooden beams which stretch across the attic, Isabelle waits for a moment and hears shuffling coming from the corner, turning to see what is happening. The mane of golden hair is instantly recognisable and she walks towards the noise. "Adrienne? What are you doing up here?"

"Oh!" Adrienne drops the book she has been holding, startled by her stepmother's presence. "I was…I was just…"

Isabelle squints and looks down at the book. The light makes it difficult to see exactly but crumpled edges of newspaper are poking out of it. "Is that a scrapbook?"

"Yes. I was just looking through a few old things. I had some time on my hands." Adrienne admits and places a hand on the leather bound scrapbook defensively.

"What's in it?"

"Must you be so damn nosey?" Adrienne snaps but follows this by sighing and she picks the book up, holding it out to the older woman. "Take a look if you're so interested."

"I didn't mean to pry…" Isabelle says, holding back.

"Just look at it. I can see you're practically dying to."

Isabelle takes the book in shaking hands and opens up to the first yellowed page which seems to tell her everything she needs to know. There are various newspaper clippings pasted onto the paper, all containing headlines about Vanessa's death. Furrowing her brow, Isabelle begins to flick through the other pages and is disturbed to see that the event caused so much news coverage.

"I'm surprised you'd want to keep this. It must hold painful memories for you." Isabelle is unable to take her eyes off it.

"Dad and I both decided to put it together. He was considering filing a lawsuit against the newspapers…but there were so many of them involved…"

"Yes I can see." Isabelle spots a picture of the whole family in Catalina looking shocked and dazed after the incident. Danielle and Will are merely children…Greg looks very much the same. "How long did this go on for? The press intrustion I mean."

"A long time." Adrienne looks up to see Isabelle taking a seat on a wooden beam opposite her. She runs her hands over her face and through her hair. "It was so difficult to cope. I mean…it would have been anyway but with the press hounding us…"

"What made them do it?" Isabelle questions a little too zealously. "What made them think it was anything other than an accident?"

"The autopsy showed that there were barbiturates in my mother's blood stream. That was enough to get them suspicious. And then there was the clincher."

"What?"

"Her half of Pacific West and her money reverted back to my father after she died. It was all in her will. The company was floundering a little at the time and people assumed that he…killed her to get the inheritance."

Isabelle remains silent for a moment, lost for words. After several deep breaths, she is able to continue the conversation. "But nothing came of it?"

"No." Adrienne shakes her head. "The insurance company did an investigation which declared it to be an accident. That was really enough to persuade the police. If only it could have done the same for those vipers." She points disdainfully at the scrapbook in Isabelle's lap.

"Thank you for sharing this with me. I'm sorry for dragging up any bad memories."

"So why did you? Why are you so interested in what happened?"

"Because I don't know enough. Greg's barely told me anything. And I can't be part of a marriage full of secrets. I did that with my first husband and I've learnt my lesson."