Scene 1:

Jillie let her fingertips trail along the white balustrade of the plantation style veranda. The night air was cool and chilled her bare skin, but she paid little attention to it. The grounds of the country club were lit well, but still allowed a few shadows for those stolen, private moments. Had a romantic ring to it, but this was anything but, Jillie thought. Every time she closed her eyes to try to block out the image of her father kissing Gina Corelli, it just seemed to burn deeper into her mind.

It was disgusting. Granted, no child liked to think of her parents as a sexual being. But this was different. She wasn't unused to thinking of her father as a romantic being. Or, at least there had been a time when she'd seen him as such. The way he'd treated Maeve Conlan had been impeccable. If ever she'd sustained a momentary romantic ideal, it would have been borne of the way her parents had been together. Deep inside, just seeing her father with another woman seemed to sully that memory.

She wasn't a romantic idealist though, Jillie reminded herself. Love 'em and leave 'em. That was her motto. Why? Because she could. Because it had always been fun. She liked knowing that she could pull men's strings. She was a heartbreaker and she'd always known it. Some people might say she was afraid of getting hurt, so she hurt people before they could get too close. But Jillie didn't think she needed such psychoanalyzing. Why were people constantly trying to make things harder than they really were? So she liked men. So she liked sex. So what? Did that automatically mean something was wrong with her?

Of course it did. At least, in the eyes of her family it did. She was wrong for not being more like Maura. A good, strong, solid, moral woman, who was intent in her pursuit of love and Jude Fontaine. Or she should have been more like Piper - demure, sincere, sweet, innocent. But she wasn't. She was brash and wild, outspoken and fickle. Not to mention self-involved. If she took her siblings' word for it, she wasn't bothered by anything that didn't involve her personally.

So why in the hell was this bothering her so much? Why should she care what Kevin Conlan did? Then again, why shouldn't she? All he'd ever done was judge her. Wasn't it her turn now?

Her footsteps echoed around her as she slowly walked around the building, turning the corner as she headed towards the front of the country club. She might as well leave now, before the night got even worse. There was no way she was going to be able to enjoy herself. Looking up to search for her car, Jillie stopped as she saw another figure hurrying towards the parking lot. He was easy to recognize, and it was apparent he was running off without his little date. Curiouser and curiouser....

She waited until Leo had pulled out before going to her car. Starting the engine, she hit the gas, deciding on a whim to follow him. Why not? Wasn't like she had anything else to do, except curl up to a sappy movie and a pint of Chocolate Fudge Brownie.



Scene 2:

Gwen Mason gracefully stepped to the mic and cleared her throat. Slowly the crowd began to turn towards her and a practiced smile played across Gwen's features. The crowd on the balcony began to filter towards the ballroom floor and away from the balcony. Jareth looked up to see the crowd clear to reveal Catherine on the opposite end, staring at him. He pushed himself off the balcony to his full height and stuffed his hands in his pockets, unable to break eye contact with her. At the moment, she in no way resembled the confident, vivacious Catherine Fairchild. He would have expected her to storm right up to him and demand to know what's wrong, but he knew that wasn't going to happen by the look on his face. He approached her instead, but was unable to find a decent explanation for his behavior.

"Haven't seen you much tonight," Catherine remarked, her voice unusually soft.

"Cat-I'm sorry," Jareth apologized, tugging at his tie nervously.

"You know, all you had to do was say, 'let's get the hell out of here." She now more closely resembled the Catherine everyone knew. Catherine moved Jareth's hands from his collar and quickly loosened the tie and pulled it off. "Better?" she asked.

"Yeah," Jareth answered sheepishly.

"Can you please tell me what's going on?" Catherine demanded, handing Jareth the tie.

He took it and stuffed it in his pocket. His mind drifted to when he had met Catherine at Andrew and Genevieve's wedding. Catherine was ten at the time and he had been twelve. She had been dressed in stark white dress with lacy bows and lacy gloves to cover her small, delicate hands. Jareth had tripped her when she was prancing by him and Darcy, all the while with her little nose in the air. After she had fallen, she quickly jumped to her feet, and punched him straight in the nose. Darcy had immediately liked Catherine after that and well, so had Jareth.

"Earth to Jareth!" Catherine snapped.

He gave her a goofy grin at her snap. "I was just thinking about when you nearly broke my nose when we were kids."

Catherine gave Jareth one of those looks, but her face softened into a smile. Jareth grabbed Catherine and pulled her down the stairs to the patio and gardens.

"Jareth, I have on extremely high heels, I'm no Corvette Z06 at the moment."

Jareth stopped, scooped Catherine up into his arms, and proceeded to carry her the rest of the way. Catherine giggled, letting the shoes slip off her feet, and insisting Jareth let her walk in the grass. She pulled some of her skirt and laid it over one arm, following Jareth wherever he was going. Catherine had the ability to transition easily from the setting of what she was born into to the setting that he was born into. He stopped suddenly and he felt her collide with him.

"Could you warn me when you have this stop-in-your-track epiphanies because walking into you is like colliding with a brick wall," Catherine explained.

Jareth turned around to face Catherine, causing her to stumble a little, but he grabbed her waist and braced her.

"You're like a mad-hatter tonight, Jare."

"Why did you invite me tonight, Cat?" he asked, looking down at her. She was still significantly shorter even in heels.

Catherine gave him a slightly annoyed look, "because...otherwise my mother would hook me up with some awful bore like Dean or Damien Lords...or Philip Stephanopoulos."

"I've liked you ever since I saw you before I even met you at the wedding. I always thought you were so above me though."

Catherine rolled her eyes, "well, I'm right here with you, in fact I'm quite below you," she laughed looking up at the 6'4 Jareth. At that, Catherine stepped on a nearby stone bench, now above Jareth, but not by much. In fact she was less than a head taller than him like this. His eyes nearly level with hers. Catherine in a characteristically impulsive fashion, leaned forward and brushed her lips over Jareth's. Jareth drew back, but only because he was shocked, which he had learned to be less and less around Catherine, but even knowing that she had caught him off guard. Jareth rested his hands on Catherine's waist, searched for her lips again, and captured them. His hand slid up along her back, found the bare expanse of her exposed back, and he savored the contact of her soft, bare skin to his. He ran his hand higher to her neck, playing with the soft tendrils of her hair. At the moment, he forgot how lost he had felt at the party and how inferior he often felt to Catherine.



Scene 3:

Making a quick excuse to Stephen and his business associate, Hallie made her way across the room to where Liza and Dane were obviously waiting for her arrival. She nodded briefly to Liza, barely acknowledging the woman before latching onto her brother and pulling him away from his date.

"Hallie, what are you doing?" Dane asked yanking his arm free when they were out of earshot of Liza. Hallie shot a hateful gaze over his shoulder at Liza whose smile irked Hallie to no end.

"What are you doing here with her?" Hallie demanded.

"I'm on a date, Hal. Why?"

"With her?! How could you? After everything she's done to me!"

Dane's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What has she done to you? She met a man that she liked and was attracted to...that's all she did. Maybe you should be blaming your husband for trying to have an affair and yes, I said trying. You have no proof they did anything more than a kiss here or there."

"I thought you were on my side," Hallie said. "That woman ruined my marriage."

"She did not. And anyway, you didn't have much of a marriage if I recall," Dane pointed out. "Don't get bent out of shape by this Hal. It's just a date and if you're so concerned about her being anywhere near Luke, than be glad I'm her date. I'll make sure he stays away."

"I don't care about Luke," Hallie pouted. "Why did you even ask her?"

"I didn't. We were...set up on a blind date I guess you would call it. Even though we were both aware of who the other person was." He snagged two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter. "Have a drink Hallie. You look like you could use it."

She frowned but took the glass anyway, letting the amber liquid slide down her throat. "I still don't understand why you would agree to it if you knew who the date would be."

"Just call it curiosity," Dane shrugged. "Besides, I rather like her now. She's not quite the doormat you thought she was."

"Oh you like her now?" Hallie repeated, rolling her eyes. "You know, I don't understand you lately, Dane. First you fall for that nosey reporter..."

"Don't say anything about Phoebe," Dane warned, his eyes growing dark at the mention of the woman he had fawned over for the last year...before her untimely death.

"Oh that's right. I forgot you were actually in love with her!" Hallie grinned wickedly. "Then again, I didn't think you knew what love was, Dane. You always said that love was for fools. Then again, she's gone so..." She shrugged in mock sympathy. Dane's face drained of all color. "You don't know what you're getting into with Liza Gennaro, Dane. She's two faced and manipulative."

"I don't think I'll have a problem," Dane said lowering his voice. "After all, I grew up with you didn't I?" He snagged another glass of champagne and turned back towards Liza, stranding Hallie alone in the middle of the party.



Scene 4:

"I think I'll see if I can help find her," Kevin said after a moment of tense silence between them. "You have fun. Find Georgia, see if she's having any fun." He smiled and touched her arm gently before leaving her at the bar alone. So much for having a good time and getting to know Kevin's family. Taking a step back, Gina bumped into someone, startling both of them.

"Oh excuse me," Gina apologized turning around coming face to face with a young woman who had to be Piper. She was a little more done up than Gina had expected; all the pictures of Piper she had seen, the young woman had looked like a comfortable teenager, not the made up woman in front of her. "Oh. You're Piper aren't you?"

Piper felt her whole body tense when she came face-to-face with the slightly shorter woman.

"Yes...I'm Piper," Piper responded tersely. She had caught fleeting glances of Jory and Maura, who had both mentioned something alluding to this woman and Piper almost felt pity on her.

"I've heard a lot about you. I'm Gina...a friend of your father's," she added trying not to upset this daughter as well. "He's told me about you but I didn't think I would get to meet you any time soon."

"I'm sure he's told you great things," Piper returned dryly. A thick piece of hair fell in her face and she pushed it aside, looking over her shoulder in search of Noah, but not finding him. If she had him by her side, she would feel better facing her father's 'friend.'

"He has. He tells me you're an actress. I've always thought acting would be fun myself but I'm a bit of a chicken when it comes to getting up in front of people," Gina laughed. So far so good. She was sarcastic but then not nearly as bad as Maura had been.

"It's not as difficult as most people think," Piper answered shortly, thinking this woman full of crap for saying Kevin had said anything good about Piper of late, but she felt a curious desire to know what her father had said about her. "Honestly, I don't speak much with him, so he knows little of my life and I know less of his, I've only heard of you through my siblings."

Gina's hopes for a decent start with Kevin's youngest daughter fell at the mention of her siblings. She hoped she'd spoken to Luke at least. He seemed to be the only one who was decent to her. Maura and Jory both hated her and Jillie hadn't bothered to acknowledge her existence. Was wanting to be liked by Kevin's children so wrong? It wasn't like she was the wicked stepmother after all!

"Good things, I hope," she replied meekly.

"No, but what can I say we're all a little biased," Piper explained in a half-attempt to be decent.

"Oh. Well, I'm not trying to be anyone I'm not," Gina explained getting it at last. Did they all think she was trying to take Maeve Conlan's place? It was the furthest thing from her mind. Gina was who she was and that was it. "I have a daughter about your age, Piper. You'd like her. Your father tells me that you've made some interesting friends in college. Are any of them with you tonight?"

"No, this isn't their thing," Piper replied, wondering what Kevin meant by interesting. He seemed a bit scared of Jewel, as did most people, she had the force of a hurricane.

"Oh I see. Well, it's not really my thing either. I only came because of your father," she smiled giving the girl a wink. "I'll be honest with you, Piper. I'm not having the best time either."
Piper resisted the urge to throw up on Gina's shoes when she made that little comment and ridiculous wink. "Actually I'm having a decent time, if I could just stop loosing my date," Piper said a little coldly.

"Oh. I suppose you're here with that waiter from your father's diner...Noah, right?" Gina asked trying to sound friendly.

"Yes," Piper replied, "him." She couldn't hide the relief that flooded her face when Noah wrapped his arm around her waist, making her a jump a little because she hadn't seen him sneaking up.

"I hope I haven't interrupted anything too serious," Noah said catching the look of relief on Piper's face at his appearance. "Hi Mrs. Corelli. How are you?"

"Fine, Noah. Thank you and you know the both of you can call me Gina." She gave Piper a meaningful gaze and added, "In fact, I'd like it if you did."




Scene 5:

"Let me go," Georgia snapped once Ian had steered her to a roomy supply closet, the only place in the Country Club where no one was wondering or milling about. "What is it with you and dragging me all over the place?"

"We are going to talk right now," Ian told her releasing his grip. "I'm tired of this jealous routine of yours, Georgia. It has to stop."

"Jealous routine?! Ian McCormick you are the most egotistical, arrogant jerk I have ever met! I'm jealous? Well, let's see...we only have this...thing...that you won't acknowledge in public and you spend all of your time dating other women publicly while I have to wait around for you to call or show up at my apartment at random. Of course, I'm jealous! What's wrong with me that I can't be seen with you in public?" Georgia demanded.

"We have discussed this, Georgia. We have a professional relationship that..."

"That is such bullshit, Ian!" Georgia exclaimed angrily. "So what if we work in the same department. You are not my boss. I report to the Director of Nurses not the head of ER."

"Georgia," Ian said, his voice taking on a soothing tone. "We've been through this. You know it would look very bad if we were seen in anything but a professional relationship. We do have to think of our careers."

"Our careers." Georgia shook her head not really believing what she had just heard. He had no idea then. Her career wasn't so important that she would humiliate another human being. Apparently his was. "Well, if that is the way you see it, then I must be wrong. What could be more important than a career?"

"I don't like your tone, Georgia," Ian replied coldly.

"I don't care if you do or not," Georgia shot back hotly. "I can't believe I was so wrong about you. I thought we had something...call it chemistry or whatever, we had something..."

"You mean have something. Tonight doesn't change anything," Ian interrupted. "You and I will continue as we always have."

"No, we won't! It's over Ian. I won't watch while you parade woman after woman in front of me claiming that we can't be seen together and then wait until you come back to my bed."

"You don't mean that," Ian replied. A careful smile emerged on his lips as he took a step closer towards her. "In fact, I think I could persuade you otherwise."

Georgia narrowed her eyes and folded her arms over herself protectively. "I don't think you can. Go back to your date, Ian."

Ian loomed over her, his fingers tracing a line across her bare collarbone and down the length of her arm. She shuddered slightly at the contact revealing more than she had wanted to about the depths of her attraction to him. His lips curved into a knowing smile though Georgia tried to keep her expression as disinterested as possible.

"Georgia...I know you don't want to turn me away...not really....," he murmured.

"I can't let you hurt me, Ian," she replied dropping her gaze. "But you seem determined to make me feel like I'm meaningless in your life."

"You're not," he told her wrapping an arm around her waist. He pulled her closer, touching her cheek gently, almost lovingly. "Gen is my brother's ex-wife...I had to bring her. You understand that don't you? It's a sympathy date, that's all nothing more. Just like Ellen would have been a business date, nothing more. It's you I'll go to after this thing is over."

"I'm not forgiving you for this one, Ian," Georgia whispered lifting her eyes back to his. She said the words, but she certainly didn't feel them. Here she was letting him trample her feelings all over again and she couldn't come up with the backbone to walk away. She would though, she told herself firmly. She would walk away from him and let him miss what he could have had.

He grinned wickedly pushing her folded arms open and pressed her body to his. "So you're still angry? Well, punish me then." He bent his lips to hers crushing her lips under his. She raised her arms to push him away but her defenses fell away under the intensity of his lips. Instead, her arms circled his neck, her fingers curling into his hair. They turned slowly entwining themselves together until Georgia broke the contact and backed away towards the door.

"Stay right there," she smiled reaching behind her back. She pulled at the zipper on her dress, delighting in how Ian practically salivated at the sound of it. So, he thought he could have her and still treat her like a one night stand? Not if she had anything to say about it. She pushed one shoulder of the dress down while reaching for the doorknob with her hidden hand.

"I mean it, Ian, stay there," she commanded when he made a move towards her. Grinning like an idiot, he obeyed and watched as the dress revealed more of her bare skin. Georgia turned the doorknob silently her eyes on Ian the entire time. "You still want me?" She asked seductively.

"More than ever," he returned in a husky voice.

"Too bad. Don't ever treat me like your play thing again!" Georgia snapped, yanking the door open quickly. She fled the supply closet, turning quickly to slam the door closed behind herself. She fumbled for the lock just as Ian's hands grabbed the door on the other side and managed to lock it before he could pull it open. "Have fun at the ball!" She called through the door, ignoring his angry howls of protest, and making her way back to the ballroom.




Scene 6:

Rick shot Jude a hateful glare and turned to walk back up the path to the Country Club. Jude watched him go, waiting until he was out of sight to relax. He dropped his arm and took a step back from Maura. Remembering that he had her shawl in his hand, he shook it out and draped it across her shoulders.

"You left this inside," he murmured.

"How long were you eavesdropping?" Maura asked, looking into his eyes. "And what did you hear?"

"Enough." Jude turned towards the lake, watching as a swan skimmed across the water. "Do you want to ask me about it?" He asked, keeping his eyes away from hers.

"You mean about the real reason you wanted to bring me to this horrible party?" Maura shrugged, pulling the shawl closer. "Why did you agree to my father's ridiculous suggestion?"

"I didn't think it was so ridiculous at the time. I don't now. I do happen to think you should let your father run Connie's. I agreed to talk to you about it...well," he sighed rubbing at his chin. "I agreed to it because I wanted to see you and because I thought he was right."

"You wanted to see me?" Maura repeated, a hint of hope in her voice.

"Yes, I did," he answered simply. He turned back towards her, smoothing away a wisp of hair away from her eyes. "I shouldn't have let your father's tricks to get us in the same room together be the reason I finally admitted it to myself though. I'm sorry about that."

"My father..." Maura trailed off thinking about her encounter with Gina in the ladies room. Why, after ten years, did Kevin want Connie's back now? After she had put everything she had into the diner, he would ask her to leave just like that? It hurt to know that he could take Connie's, the one thing that had saved her after her mother's death and the loss of Rick and Tristen, away from her. And to hear it from Gina only made it sting worse. "Gina told me. I wish it had been you. You wouldn't have been so smug about it," she added.

"I think she meant well, Maura..."

"No, she didn't!" Maura snapped ferociously. "That woman...I don't even know what Dad sees in her!"

"He must see something," Jude reasoned in a soothing voice. "Let's not talk about them right now. I want to talk about you."

"Me?" Maura's irritation with Gina disappeared at Jude's words.

"Yes, you," Jude assured her. He pulled her closer to him, cupping her chin in the palm of his hand. "And actually, I don't think I want to talk after all. We get in trouble when we talk."

Maura's hand reached up, meeting Jude's. "Jude, I'm sorry for the way I've treated you. You didn't deserve any of that," she said, regret etched into her eyes.

"I've been thinking about that...about what you and I have been through since we first met." He let his hand fall from her face and squeezed her fingers in his. "That man that you met a year ago...that was someone else. You're looking at a completely new man here. Everything that's happened to me in the last year...meeting you, Gwen being my mother, Cynthia's demands, the fire at ME...it's all changed me and I'm not the same Jude Fontaine I was that night we met at The Fountains."

"So...you're some new guy I don't even know?" Maura smiled. "If that's the case, look at me. I'm hardly the same woman you met that night. I've been through...God..." She ticked them off one by one on her free hand. "...Rick. Meeting my daughter. Almost losing Jory. Losing you three or four times..." She took a deep breath and stared at their hands that had entwined together. "No, I'm not the same. So, that makes us even."

"I guess it does," Jude agreed. "Maura...I heard what you said to Rick. About not giving up on me..."

"I meant every word of it," Maura cut in eagerly. Please, she thought, please believe me this time. "I won't give up so easily...I do love you, Jude."

"For a while, I thought that I would never hear you say that. I thought you were in love with Rick," Jude whispered softly.

"No..." Maura shook her head sadly. "It's only been you...I just was too stupid to realize it. Then when I did, it was too late."

"It's never too late." Jude pulled her to him, letting go of her hand. She could feel the heat from his body burn against her own bare skin as his fingers pressed into her shoulders pulling her closer to him. "I've said this before Maura...I'll say it until I die if you want to hear it...I love you."

Maura's heart quickened at his words lifting her gaze to his. Without another word, he bent to her upturned face, his lips grazing hers gently for a fleeting second before he pulled away. A flood of emotions broke in her at the break in contact. She wanted more!

"Tell me you love me Maura," he whispered in a strangled voice. "I need to hear it again."

"I love you," Maura whimpered into his chest, clinging to him tightly, not wanting him to let her go. "I love you, I love you, I love you."

"Once was enough," he smiled. "Thank you." He lifted her chin and, with his thumb, wiped away the tear that had escaped and rolled down her cheek before leaning back in to finish the kiss he had begun seconds ago.
 

On the next Episode of Secret Horizons...