Once upon a time, I, Mildred Buckley, was but a humble homemaker. Day in and day out, I took care of my house, kept my husband and children well-fed and in perfectly pressed clothes, never once bothering a soul. Until the night of the last comet. That was when someone came into my happy home, murdered me and left my body at the bottom of Oak Harbor, as yet undiscovered.
Tonight, another comet will pass through the skies over Oak Harbor, and by the time it’s come and gone, another fine, upstanding Oak Harbor-ite will join me in the watery great beyond.
Xavier Deveraux was a man of questionable ethics. If you found yourself in his favor, you were good as gold. But, if you crossed him, you might as well write your own eulogy. Such was the misfortune of his wife…ex-wife, Jessica Lindsey-Deveraux. One little night of passion with his son and he set loose the hounds.
Clarence: You kept my niece hidden for months. Surely you can understand my hesitance to get into bed with you, business-wise?
Xavier: She was of some use to me.
Clarence: Ah, yes, I saw the video online. One of your sons? That must have stung something awful.
Xavier: For a brief moment in time, I was blinded by the illusions she cast. I’m not anymore. That’s why I turned Jessica over to you and to your associate, Mr. Walsh.Clarence: Tobias Walsh?
Xavier: Yes. I had Madienne contact him.
Clarence: He was an associate of my brother’s, of Jessica’s father. He is no longer an associate of mine. And, if you’re as well-versed on Jessica’s history as you claim to be, you know very well why.
Xavier: I’m aware of the volatile nature of their relationship.
Clarence: And, still, you turned her over to him?
Xavier: Jessica’s battles are her own now. She must face the repercussions of her actions.
Alec: What did you do?!
Xavier: Clarence, I’ll have to call you back.
Xavier: Ah, the prodigal son. Come home to roost?
Alec: Did you do something to Jess?
Xavier: Suddenly you care? Oh, are you ‘in love’ now? She’s good, son, but she isn’t that good…
Alec: What did you do?
Xavier: Poor Rose. You know, that girl is a true innocent, quirks of biology aside. Such a shame to see her done like this by my own disgrace of a son
and – Alec: WHAT DID YOU DO!?
Xavier: Seems my wife was a different person before she was Jessica Lindsey. I simply reintroduced her to the woman she used to be – and to the people who wanted to be reunited with her.
Alec: Is she hurt?
Xavier: If she is, she brought it on herself.
Alec: You son of a bitch.
Downstairs, Joshua Deveraux sat at the pool’s edge while his mother, Nora, did her mandated laps for physical therapy. The therapist only came out three times weekly, but she was to do her pool routine daily.
Nora: How many more?
Josh: Ten.
Nora: I just did ten.
Josh: And, your requirement is twenty.
Nora: There’s something barbaric about making a woman injured in a boating accident exercise in a pool.
Josh: Would you rather go back to the hospital and do therapy there?
Nora: No. Josh: I thought so.
Nora: I do want to ask you something, though. It’s about my accident.
Josh: Okay.
Nora: What happened? I still don’t remember. I did some reading about it online and the article I found mentioned fatalities?
Josh: You know Ree Bennet?
Nora: Yes. Josh: Her sister, Rachel Logan, was participating in the regatta with her husband and son. Craig was piloting the boat while Rachel and CJ manned the sails. I don’t know what happened, but our boat collided with their boat. You were knocked overboard and Alec and I dove in, trying to find you. There must have been a gas leak in the Logans’ backup motor, because there was an explosion seconds after Alec and I recovered you. The Logans were killed.
Nora: My God…
Josh: I feel awful for Ree. Ever since I came back, I’ve wanted to go over to her boarding house and express my condolences, but –
Nora: But, what?
Josh: Let’s just say there are things keeping me away from Ree Bennet’s boarding house.
Rachel was never happy during the mornings, when Ree lugged in the old bathtub and forced her to clean up. Making matters worse, a spring in Rachel’s favorite chair was broken and while it was out being repaired, Ree had replaced it with a chair that, while undeniably comfortable to the undiscerning hind quarters, was not Rachel’s chair and thus useless.
Sometimes, she wondered if her sister was ever going to get better. Was she ever going to get to the point she could leave this attic and brave the world again? Or, would she never be able to face a world without Craig and CJ?
And, what would become of her if she ever found out what Ree did?
Stefanie: I still can’t believe he just let me go.
Giada: Well, our father can be reasoned with.
Stefanie: Have you met him? What did you say?
Giada: It’s not important.
Stefanie: Yes, it is. He’s been adamant about me marrying Lorenzo Falcon so he can secure access to the Falcon territories, even though I don’t like Lorenzo and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t like me, either. But, now he’s giving me freedom to live my own life and not pressuring me? What gives?
Giada: Let’s just say there was one thing he wanted more than access to the Falcon territories.
Outside, Dexter Johnston poked at Stefanie’s little friend, Jason.
Dexter: I saw how cuddly you two are. No wonder she refused to marry Lorenzo.
Jason: Stefanie and I are just friends.
Dexter: So, you wouldn’t mind if I tried my luck with her?
Jason: You’re not her type.
Dexter: Really? Because, I’m willing to lay down even money that anything you can do, I can do to her ten times better. Older, more experience and all.
Jason: You can try, but I’ll warn you not to let the pretty face fool you. She’s a black belt.
Dexter: I’m not worried about her. I am, however, worried about you. Don’t think I’m not onto you, Jason. I know there’s something not right about you and your position within this organization. And, I’m not going to stop until I figure out what angle you’re working.
Jason: I’m not working an angle.
Dexter: I hope for your sake that’s true. The last person who infiltrated and tried to take Serdahl down from the inside out wound up disappearing without a trace. Be a real shame if the same thing happened to you.
Alec found the door to Jess’ condo standing open.
He ran inside, calling out to her. There was no answer.
He checked the bedroom. Her bed had not been slept in. Her suitcases still sat unopened atop the bed.
Suddenly, he saw her … lying on the kitchen floor.
Alec: Jess! What did he do to you?
Alec: Come on, I’m going to get you to the hospital.
Amber did not like the plan. She loved Sam and she always supported his schemes 100%. But, something felt off about this one, something she couldn’t put her finger on and, no matter how many times Sam reassured her, the nagging sensation this was not going to end well persisted.
Amber: I just don't know if this is going to work.
Sam: Of course it will. Everything is in place, we just have to execute the plan. I'll go to Deveraux, tell him I'm his long lost son, he'll demand a DNA test, we'll come here to get it done, you'll use your hospital credentials to access the lab report, change a couple of words and -- PRESTO. We're set for life, baby.
Amber: But, what if –
Suddenly, the doors flew open. Alec Deveraux came racing in, an unconscious woman in his arms.
Alec: I need help!
Lara: What happened?
Alec: I don’t know, I just found her like this. I can’t get her to wake up.
Lara: Take her into cubicle three.
Every morning, Damian tried to get a run in. This morning, he ran his usual circuit, down by the docks. But, there was something unusual about this morning, as he bumped into a familiar face.
Damian: Josh! Hey.
Josh: Hey. Sorry, I was just passing through. I didn’t mean to interrupt.
Damian: You didn’t. I was hoping I would run into you again.
Josh: Yeah. Well, it was good seeing you again –
Damian: Is this how it’s going to be while you’re back?
Josh: What do you mean?
Damian: I mean you and I bumping into each other and you doing everything you can to get away from me?
Josh: I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Damian: I would think if you were so concerned with not being around me, you wouldn’t keep popping up at the places you know I’ll be.
Josh: I’m not avoiding you. In fact, I don’t think of you at all. It’s best that way.
Damian: Best for who? Your father?
Josh: He was right, I needed distance from you.
Damian: He was trying to control you, Josh. He found out who you are and he couldn’t accept it, so he shipped you off to another country under the guise of expanding Deveraux.
Josh: That’s not who I am. I’m not like you.
Damian: So, it was an experiment? All those nights you spent in my bed were, what? A trial run?
Josh: No! God, this is why I didn’t want to talk to you. You confuse the hell out of me.
Damian: No, I make it safe to be who you are and you can’t handle that.
Josh: How many times do I have to say it? This isn’t who I am!
Damian: Now, tell me this isn’t who you are.Josh: This isn’t real. None of this was real.
Damian: What happened between us was real! We were REAL. You can hide from it and you can pretend it didn’t happen and you can avoid me because it stirs up old memories, but deep down inside, you know as well as I do that there was something between us and it was more than sex. I can’t make you face it and I can’t drag you out of
Xavier’s closet, but if you ever want to talk about it, you know where I am. I’m still staying at Ree Bennet’s boarding house.Josh: Why? You’re loaded. You could live in a penthouse.
Damian: Because, it was the first place I made love to you and I’m not ready to let it go yet. I can’t wash my hands of you as easily as you do of me.
Just then, Damian’s phone went off. He fished it out of his pocket and saw Oak Harbor Hospital’s number lit up on the display.
Damian: Hello?
Lara: Damian Blanche?
Damian: Yes.
Lara: I’m Dr. Lara Dawkins. A friend of yours was just brought in to the ER, Jessica Lindsey-Deveraux. You were listed in her patient records as her emergency contact.
Damian: What happened?
Lara: Looks like she was beaten up pretty badly.
Damian: I’ll be right there. Tell her I’m on my way.
Josh: What happened?
Damian: Your father happened to someone else I love.
Rose O’Meara was surprised when she found beloved fiancé pacing the floors in the hospital waiting area.
Rose: Alec? What are you doing here?
Alec: Rose, hi. I, um, Jess is here.
Rose: What’s wrong?
Alec: I don’t know yet.
Rose: It’s sweet how you’re looking out for her, despite your differences.
Alec: Um…wait, what are you doing here?
Rose: We need to talk.
Alec: I suppose we do. You’ve seen the news, I take it?
Rose: I have.
Alec: I need you to know that I never intended for any of this to happen and –
Rose: It wasn’t your fault.
Alec: It wasn’t entirely hers, either.
Rose: How could you have stopped her from sleeping with Josh?
Alec: Josh? Rose: Yeah. The news reports said she slept with Xavier’s son and since I know you wouldn’t cheat on me, that leaves Josh. It was Josh, wasn’t it?
Alec: Yeah. Yeah, Josh. I just feel responsible because I never liked her from the beginning.
Rose: Jessica and Josh, though, isn’t what I wanted to talk to you about.
Alec: Oh?
Rose: My mother is here, Alec. She’s a patient.Alec: Was she hurt?
Rose: No. She’s a resident in the mental health wing. My mother suffers from schizophrenia.
Alec: You never told me.
Rose: I know. I – I was scared. I thought if I told you, you would be afraid of me, of marrying me and so, I kept it secret. I know it was wrong, I should have more faith in you than that.
You’ve never given me a single reason to doubt you. It’s just sometimes –Alec: Sometimes, we can’t control ourselves.
Rose: I understand if you don’t want to marry me because there is a certain heritable element and our children could develop it, but –
Alec: I love you, Rose. You’re the kindest, most honest woman I know. I don’t deserve you, but I would be honored to have you as a wife and the mother of my children.
Rose: Why do you keep saying you don’t deserve me? You’re too hard on yourself, Alec. You’re a good man. A little too like Xavier sometimes, when it comes to business, but I knew you were going to change my life the day we met in that diner and I thank my lucky stars for you every single day.
Alec: I wish I were the man you think I am.
Rose: I wish you could see that you are. I know you’re here for Jessica, but would you mind taking a few minutes to meet my mom?
Alec: I would love to.
Rose: Okay. Her name is Jenny.
Damian found Jessica resting when he arrived.
Jessica: Hi.
Damian: Walsh?
Jessica: Yep.
Damian: Xavier?
Jessica: Mm-hmm. Ow.
Damian: What’s the verdict? Jessica: A couple of bruised ribs are about the worst of it. Probably going to be feeling this eye for a few days, too.
Damian: Okay, so, we have to move you again. Back to New York? I seem to remember you liked it there. That restraining order Ed Westwick took out on you has to have expired by now…
Jessica: No.
Damian: Chicago, then? But, you know how you hated winters in Chicago –Jessica: No, I’m not leaving Oak Harbor.
Damian: They found you.
Jessica: They’ll find me anywhere I go, Damian. I faked my death, dropped twenty pounds, grew my hair out, got enough plastic surgery to confuse the facial recognition scanners on Falcons’ computers – and they still found me. I’m not going through all of that again. I’m tired of hiding, of the stress over worrying about if they’re going to find
me today or not. No more running. Damian: So, what are you going to do?
Jessica: I’ve been keeping tabs on the family business. Daddy is MIA, Uncle Clarence has been running things for the past while. Lorenzo is … Lorenzo. If I can find my father –
Damian: I’m going to stop you right there. You do remember your father is the reason you got mixed up with Tobias Walsh in the first place, right?
Jessica: Yes. My father married me off to Tobias to secure Tobias’ loyalties to the Falcon organization.
Damian: And, then, he turned a blind eye when Tobias spent every day of that marriage beating you to a bloody pulp until you showed up on my doorstep begging me to help you escape.
Jessica: I know. I let them break me once and it cost me everything. But, I have to be stronger than that. All my life, I’ve grown up being taught that the Falcon men are to be feared and obeyed. I allowed myself to be put in
that situation with Tobias and I allowed it to continue as long as it did. And my warped obsession with security led me to ruin my marriage to Xavier. I can’t keep letting this happen, Damian. If I don’t face this down now, I never will and I’ll never be able to heal whatever is so broken inside me that I keep self-destructing. Damian: I understand your motivation, but I don’t know if finding your father is the right avenue to take.
Jessica: I’m twenty-five and I’ve been married twice. The first marriage ended when I faked my death. The second marriage ended when I had sex with my
husband’s son. I want the next time that I get married to work. I want it to be because I am crazy in love and because I’ve exposed everything I am to him and he loves all of it, the ugly and the beautiful. And, I want to be able to stand on my own two feet going into it and coming out if it if something happens that it doesn’t last. The first step is finding my father and severing this hold he has on me. I need you to help me with that, Damian. Please?
Damian: It won’t be easy. When your father goes ghost, he usually stays that way until he wants to come out of hiding. But, I know where we can start.
Jessica: Where?
Damian: Madienne Gunnay. She’s been playing Liaison between Falcon and Xavier.
Upstairs, Jenny was not at all impressed by meeting Alec Deveraux in the flesh.
Rose: Mom, this is Alec. Alec, this is my mother, Jenny.
Alec: It’s good to meet you, Mrs. O’Meara. So, I see you paint?
Jenny: It’s a hobby of mine, yes.
Alec: I studied art history for a year in Paris when I was in college.
Jenny: Is that why you smell like a French whorehouse?
Alec: Huh?
Jenny: Don't hurt my daughter or I'll kill you. And, I'm crazy. I'll never stand trial. I'll be here in my cushy cage watching the Days of Our Lives while you're rotting in Deveraux Mausoleum. Capiche?
Alec: Um…
Rose: I’m so sorry. She’s apparently in one of her moods.
Alec: It’s okay.
Jenny: I don’t like him. I want him to leave.
Rose: Why don’t you go check on Jess?
Alec: Good idea. I’ll see you at home, Rose.
Alec shook it off as he boarded the elevator and returned to the emergency level. He made his way to Jess’ room, not surprised to find her locked in an embrace with Damian Blanche but very surprised by his reaction. Part of him wanted to tell Damian to get his hands off of her, while another part reminded him the woman he loved was upstairs and needed him right now.
Xavier Deveraux was leaving his estate when he found a strange young man lurking about outside.
Xavier: Whoever you are, I don’t have time for you.
Sam: Just a minute of your time is all I need.
Xavier: Contact my assistant. If your cause is important, she’ll pencil you in for next month.
Sam: Wait, please –
Sam: I think I’m your son.
Xavier: What did you just say?
Sam: You were in Australia twenty-seven years ago, right?
Xavier: I’ve made many trips down under.
Sam: This would have been November. You met a woman there, a waitress in a restaurant where you had dinner. She offered to show you around, try to get your mind off of business. The two of
you wound up spending the whole weekend together in your hotel room --
Xavier: How do you know this?
Sam: Because, that waitress is my mother. I think you’re my father. The dates match up. All I’m asking for is a DNA test. We can go to the hospital right now. A couple of cheek swabs and I’ll know.
Alec was still steaming when he bumped into Damian coming out of the stairwell.
Alec: This is your fault. Jess got hurt because of you.Damian: My fault? I’m sure it had nothing to do with your father unleashing her psycho ex-husband on her.
Alec: Husband?
Damian: You’re not worth the wasted breath explaining it to you.
Alec: She stayed at your condo. You should have had better security there.
Damian: That’s been rectified. She insists on staying in Oak Harbor against my advice, so I’ve hired twenty-four hour guards to stand outside her door.
Alec: Not good enough.
Damian: Excuse me?
Alec: Jess isn’t setting foot in that condo again.
Damian: Says who? You?
Alec: Someone has to look out for her.
Damian: And, I’m doing that. Why don’t you go focus on your fiancée? Remember her? Jessica: What the hell? I could hear the two of you from my room.
Alec: He thinks you’re going back to that condo.
Jessica: I am. Damian was very kind giving me a place to stay.
Alec: What, so you can get attacked again?
Jessica: He said he’s hiring guards.
Alec: How do you know they can be trusted?
Jessica: Because, I trust Damian. I’m sure he’s vetted whoever he’s hired.
Damian: See? When are they letting
you out of here?
Jessica: Lara’s gone to get my release papers now.
Damian: Okay. I’ll take you home when you’re ready.
Alec: No, I’ll take her home so I can check out these “guards” for myself.
Damian: Who the hell –
Jessica: Damian, it’s fine. It’s fine. I’m just going to take a bath and crash when I get home anyway. Besides, I need you to get a jumpstart on that project. Please?
Damian: If you’re sure.
Jessica: I’m going to go get dressed. Try to use your indoor voices, boys? The people in the morgue are trying to sleep.
As Jessica was heading back into her room, she spotted Xavier. Though he made a move towards her, she went inside and shut the door. She wasn’t interested in anything he had to say.
Upstairs, Jenny worked on her painting while a frustrated Rose tried to get answers out of her.
Rose: Mom, why were you so rude to Alec?
Jenny: I don’t like him, Rosie.
Rose: Why not?
Jenny: He smells like a liar.
Rose: And, what does a liar smell like?
Jenny: Like him.
Ree was having a late afternoon swim. She didn’t hit the water much lately, but the pool was heated and the chill in the air didn’t bother her.
The hook in her bikini, however, did.
Ree: Lorenzo? What are you doing here? Lorenzo: I needed to see you.
Ree: You shouldn’t be here. What if –
Lorenzo: I don’t care if my father finds out I’m here.
Ree: Your father isn’t who I’m worried about. Neither is your uncle. I’m worried about Rachel seeing you.
Lorenzo: She doesn’t remember me.
Ree: What if she starts to? She could recover her memory of the days following the regatta accident. She can’t find out what happened, Lorenzo. She can’t find out what you and I did to her.
Lorenzo: Relax. Rachel will never know about Craig or her participation in the trial for Serum-419.
Ree: She’ll never forgive me.
Lorenzo: She’ll never know. I promise. I’ll take the truth about the days following the regatta accident to my grave.
Damian was boxing up his things when there was a knock on his door. It was time to move on. The boarding house held fond memories, but that’s all they were now. Josh’s reappearance had made that crystal clear.
Damian: Josh? What are you doing here?
Josh: I needed to see you.
Damian: Why?
Josh: Because, you were right. I’m in love with you, Damian. I have been ever since I first laid eyes on you and I’m scared to death of what I’m feeling. But, I’ve been driving around all day trying to get my head on straight and the only thing I keep coming back to is that there isn’t a night that passes when I don’t think about what it was like making love to you.
Damian: Get in here.
Fresh from her bath, Jessica came into the living room of her condo, surprised to find Alec still there.
Jessica: Why are you still here?
Alec: I wanted to make sure you were okay.
Jessica: I’m fine. I'm going up to the roof.
Alec: Why?
Jessica: Because, Damian has private roof access and I want to see the comet.
Jessica went up to the roof. Alec followed her.
Jessica: Seriously?
Alec: I don’t trust those guards.
Jessica: Go home.
Alec: No. Besides, I want to see the comet, too.
Jessica: And, you can’t from Deveraux Manor?
Alec: I want to see it from here.
Jessica: Why?! Why won’t you just leave me alone? You’re confusing the hell out of me. One minute you hate me, the next you’re kissing me and now you won’t leave me alone when I’m perfectly safe with Damian’s guards.
Alec: I feel guilty.
Jessica: About Rose?
Alec: No. Yes – of course about Rose. But, I tricked you. I knew my father wasn’t divorcing you and I let you make a mistake that cost you your marriage and my father retaliated by leaving your vulnerable to your ex-husband.
Jessica: How did you know –Alec: Damian mentioned something about it. You were married before my father?
Jessica: That’s a story for another time. I’m way too exhausted to rehash my history with Tobias Walsh tonight. But, I want you to know that you don’t owe me anything. You weren’t alone in that bed that night, Alec.
Alec: If you want me to go, I will. I just feel bad about what happened to you.
Jessica: And, I thank you for that. Look, you’ll probably miss the comet driving home. Why don’t you hang out? We can watch the stars in the meantime.
Alec: Thanks.
Josh felt like heaven in Damian’s arms. Familiar, but new somehow. Damian was never letting him go again.
Josh: I should go.
Damian: Why?
Josh: Because, I need to have a talk with my father.
Damian: I love you.
Josh: I love you, too.
In the backyard, Ree was getting ready to watch the comet herself.
Rachel: Ree?
Ree: Oh my God! You came outside!
Rachel: It’s cold.
Ree: I’ll keep you warm. Do you know how big this is?
Rachel: Just for the comet?
Ree: However long you want. I’m so proud of you.
That night, the residents of Oak Harbor all watched the comet pass through their skies.
Some watched with family…
Stefanie: What is my freedom costing you?
Giada: I agreed if he would let you live a normal life free of all the Serdahl drama, I would leave the FBI.
Stefanie: G, that’s your life!
Giada: No, you and Mom and Ty are my life. When my supervisor sent me back here, I didn’t want to go not because of our father but because coming back here meant facing what I’d let happen to the three of you. Now, I’m going to fix it. I’ve gotten you out and I’ll get Mom and Ty out.
While others watched with unexpected new friends…
Jessica: That’s Orion.
Alec: Okay, but which one’s that?
Jessica: Which one?
Alec: The big blue one.
Jessica: That’s the Blimpie sign, Alec. Oh! There it is! The comet!
But, like all good things, the comet came and went quickly. And, when it was gone, the people of Oak Harbor had to return to life as they knew it.
At the hospital, Amber used her credentials to access the lab’s database. She couldn’t believe she was doing something like this, not even for Sam.
She double-clicked on the results for the Deveraux DNA test.
Amber: Oh my God.
Amber hurried out to her car.
Amber: Sam? Damn it, Sam, pick up your phone! You need to stop whatever you’re doing. There’s something wrong with the lab results. Just call me back when you get this. I’m on my way to Deveraux Manor.
Damian knew he said he’d give Josh time to talk to Xavier, but he couldn’t stand being away from him.
Damian: Josh, hey.Josh: You need to go, Damian.
Damian: Go? Why? Wait, did Xavier throw you out? Because, I’ve found a new place. You can stay with me –
Josh: I’m going back to France.
Damian: Why?
Josh: Please, just don’t force this issue.
Damian: No, you owe me an explanation. You and I made love this afternoon. You don’t just say you want someone and then bail.
Josh: It’s complicated.
Damian: It’s Xavier, isn’t it?
Josh: Damian, please –
Damian: No. I love you and I’m not going to let your father keep interfering in my life. This is the last straw.
Jessica: Good night, Alec.
Alec: I don't want to leave you.
Jessica: I told you, you don’t owe me anything.
Alec: What if I said maybe I care a little more about you than I’m willing to admit?
Jessica: I would say that it’s a bad idea.
Alec: What if I said I think the reason I sabotaged your relationship with my father was because, deep down in a place I didn't want to face, I want you?
Jessica: I would say that you're just confused. We hate each other and --
And, that very night, in the backyard of the Deveraux Estate, Xavier Deveraux met his maker.
Xavier: I thought it might be you.
BANG!
But, while some had no alibis for where they were at the time of his murder....
...others would find their alibis proved more damning than the crimes they would be suspected of.
Amber was driving when her cell rang. She answered using her hands-free device.
Sam: Amber?
Amber: Thank God you called me.
Sam: What’s wrong with the lab results?
Amber: Xavier Deveraux is –
Suddenly, another car came out of nowhere. It veered across the yellow lines and Amber swerved to miss it, tumbling down an embankment. And, the last thing she heard before losing consciousness was Sam screaming her name.
