Previously...

Lauren slept with Brett, fearing if she didn't give in to his demands he would tell Heather about her affair with Stormy.  News of Alex and Will's marriage spread quickly, infuriating everyone and sending Jordan into a depression.  Ethan and Winter argued over his friendship with Brooke.  James and Alex met secretly with his lawyer to discuss their plan.  Stormy told Lauren that she had been offered to go on tour, then a devestated Brett overheard Lauren asking Stormy if he would go with her.  Brooke wondered what James was up to during his secret meetings, then refused to sleep with him until she felt she could trust him completley. James's headaches worsened, still refusing to tell anyone of his terminal condition.  After Ethan lied about being with Brooke, Winter confronted Brooke with hostile accusations.  During the argument, Brooke stumbled and fell down the stairs at the mansion.

Episode 22

"Lights and Sounds"

The Valley Beach Club was filling with people preparing to celebrate the release of Lauren.  Dressed to the nines, everyone mingled throughout the crowd and took their seats at tables in the dining room. 

In the lobby, Ethan fished his cell phone from his pocket and quickly dialed the number at the Blackthorne mansion and waited for Brooke to answer.    After a few rings, he reluctantly hung up and looked at his watch.  He’d just seen James come into the restaurant, but Brooke wasn’t with him.  Maybe she was on her way, he thought to himself as he started off through the crowd.

Winter slowly walked down the staircase, her eyes riveted to Brooke’s motionless body laying at her feet.   She stepped carefully over her and began running across the foyer to the front door.  She had to get out of there.  If anybody saw her there they’d think the worst.  And as much as she hated Brooke, she wouldn’t have done anything to deliberately hurt her.

Suddenly a pang of conscience overcame her and she turned back.  She decided she couldn’t leave without first making sure she was okay.  It wouldn’t be right.    Reluctantly, she turned and walked back to Brooke’s body.  Looking closely, she noticed that she was breathing.  That was a good sign.   But anything else was undecided, namely the fate of her baby. 

What would Ethan do if he found out that she was with Brooke when she fell?  And if she lost the baby, it would crush him.  He’d probably blame her and end their relationship indefinitely.   The prospect was too painful to acknowledge.

Suddenly a thought occurred to her.   If Brooke didn’t get treatment in time, maybe she wouldn’t have to worry about the baby.  She could leave her there just like she’d planned on doing.  Everyone was at Lauren’s party and wouldn’t be home till late.  By that time it might be too late for the baby that would surely come between her and Ethan.  

Doubts filled Winter’s head as she stood up and tried to focus.  What was she actually considering?  Leave Brooke there and hope she'd lose her baby?   At least that way she'd have no ties to Ethan.

Without wasting another second, she turned and ran out the front door to her car.  Fumbling with the keys, she started the engine and peeled out of the driveway, leaving the mansion behind like a bad memory.

Brett walked into the dressing room and looked at Stormy and Lauren with complete surprise.   He shook his head and felt himself filling with rage. 

“You’re going on tour with her?” he said in disbelief.  “I didn’t even know there was a tour.”

Stormy gave Brett an apologetic look and took a step toward him.  “I just found out about it, man."

“The hell you did,” Brett exclaimed angrily.  “Don’t you think if anybody should go on tour with Lauren it should be her manager?”

“Look, we haven’t decided anything,” Stormy insisted, slightly annoyed by Brett’s defensive attitude.  “We were just talking about the possibilities, that’s all.”

“This is a private conversation anyway, Brett,” Lauren added smugly.

“Oh sure.  It’s private because you don’t want unsuspecting Brett to find out that you’re trying to cut him out of the picture!” Brett replied in a rage, then looked at Stormy with a threatening stare.  “No wonder you can’t get your recording studio to profit.  You’re too busy with your personal life to run it.  You betray everyone around you and-”

“You’re way off base, man,” Stormy interrupted.  “I’ve done nothing but give you the benefit of the doubt since you showed up here.  You lied to everyone, including my sister, and I gave you another chance.  So don’t tell me that I’ve betrayed you.”

“What do you call this?” Brett yelled.  “You’re sleeping with Lauren and now you’re planning on going off on tour with her!  Where do you think that leaves me?  I’m kind of left holding the bag with no career because you had to have it all!”

Stormy’s eyes darted back and forth between Brett and Lauren.  He was shocked to hear that Brett knew about their affair.   “What are you talking about, man?”

“You and Lauren doing the deed, that’s what I’m talking about!” Brett yelled.  “And now you want to cut me out of the deal completely!  You know, I don’t know what she sees in you anyway!  You’re a spoiled rich kid who used your trust fund to start a business!  And even that you foul up by unzipping your pants every chance you get!”

“All right, that does it,” Stormy groaned, gnashing his teeth and charging toward Brett.

Lauren stood by helplessly, wishing that none of this had ever started. 

Just then, Heather and Miranda walked into the dressing room and immediately saw what was going on.   They both screamed at them to stop as Stormy and Brett struggled to take a swing at one another.

“Knock it off!” Miranda yelled, grabbing Stormy and pulling him back.  “What the hell is going on here?”

“Why are you two fighting?” Heather added, looking at them in confusion.

Brett stumbled back and pushed his hair out of his eyes.  He tried to catch his breath while glaring at Stormy.  “Ask your husband,” he said, turning to Heather.

“Get out of here,” Stormy barked, still being restrained by Miranda.

Shaking his head with a scoff, Brett threw his hands up in resignation and turned to the door.  “Forget you, man.”

After he left, Miranda let go of her brother and looked at him and Lauren as if demanding an explanation.   Heather walked up to Stormy and put her arms around him, sensing the anguish he was feeling.

Meanwhile, Ethan approached James and expressed his concern that Brooke hadn’t shown up yet. 

“She should be here by now,” James said.  “I told her to meet me here.”

Ethan sighed and looked around the crowded terrace.  ‘I’ll give her another call at home,” he said.

“Good, let me know if you can’t get in touch with her,” James said.  “If she isn’t here soon then I’m going to go find her.”

Ethan nodded and pressed a speed dial on his phone.  After calling the mansion and letting the phone ring a few times, he hung up and fished his keys out of his pocket.  He wasn’t going to wait for James.  He had a terrible feeling that there was something very wrong.

Out in the dining room, Alex and Will walked arm in arm through the crowd, stopping at a passing waiter and taking two glasses of champagne.   They continued along their way and intercepted Jordan coming in through the lobby.  

He stopped and looked at them, noting their comfortable arm in arm position and looked away distantly.  Alex followed his eyes with hers, wishing she could reach out to him and explain everything.  The look on his face spoke for him.  He was deeply hurt seeing her with Will Thomerson.

“Hello Jordan,” Will said with a sly smile.  “Glad to see you made it out tonight.  But I guess it beats sitting at home licking your wounds.”

Jordan smiled evenly.  “I guess congratulations are in order for the two of you."

Alex gazed into his eyes.  She felt a chill run down her body and she suddenly debated whether what she was doing was worth it.  Sure, she was helping James out of a bind, but at what cost?  She might very well have lost the man she loved forever.

Before she could say anything, Jordan was offering a polite goodbye and then disappeared into the crowd.   When she turned back, James was approaching her and Will like a bolt of lightening.  Finally they could get their evening underway.

“Oh good, you’re here,” James said, finally able to relax after showing up at Alex’s beach house only to find no one home.

“You have a lot of nerve showing up here, Blackthorne,” Will taunted.  “As far as I know, has-been’s aren’t permitted in this club.”

“You’re about to find out that you’re the has-been,” James said, glaring at Will with contempt.  “I’d like to see you both outside in the garden.  There’s something I have to say and it can’t wait.”  He turned and weaved through the dining room toward the terrace.

Will frowned and turned to Alex.  “Do you know what that’s all about?”

She shook her head.  “I have no idea,” she said.  “Why don’t we go find out?”

Will tried to imagine what James had up his sleeve.  He should have known the fight wasn’t over.  Whatever it was that James had planned, he was certain it would be a misguided attempt at retaliation for taking his studio.

Meanwhile, Ethan arrived at the mansion and walked into the foyer, immediately spotting Brooke laying unconscious at the bottom of the staircase.

“Oh my God!” he cried out, racing toward her with blinding speed.   He knelt down and checked her pulse, relieved that she was alive.   He leaned in and called her name several times, trying to jar her awake with no avail.

Desperate, he raced to the phone in the foyer and called for an ambulance. 

Back at the party, Will walked onto the garden terrace with Alex close behind.  He approached James in a secluded clearing and stopped, meeting his stare with remote curiosity. 

“All right, James.  This had better be good,” he said.   “What pathetic reason do you have for summoning us outside?”

“Actually, I have something to say,” Alex declared, stepping forward as she reached into her purse and withdrew a folded document.

Will looked at her with curiosity, then at James, immediately knowing they were up to something.  “What is this?”

“This is you getting what’s coming to you,” James said smugly.

“This is a document showing the sale of Sunset Studios to James Blackthorne for the sum of one dollar,” Alex said with a smirk, handing Will the contract and then giving James a triumphant look.

Will glanced over the paper and chuckled loudly.  “That’s preposterous,” he said.  “You can’t do that.”

“I beg your pardon,” Alex replied.  “I’m your wife.  We had no pre-nup.  Everything that’s yours is mine.  And I decided to give James back what rightfully belonged to him.  Being Mrs. Will Thomerson does have its rewards.”

“You’ve lost at your own game, Thomerson,” James said.  “How does it feel?”

Will looked up and glared at them with contempt.  “You were in on this together,” he seethed.  “This was all a setup.”

“You bet it was,” Alex said.  “Do you honestly think I would have married you for any other reason?”  She reached into her purse and removed another document which she handed to Will with a grin.  “And now that James and I have both gotten what we wanted, our marriage is over.  I had it annulled this morning.”

Will’s eyes widened as he looked at the annulment papers.  “This is a joke,” he whispered.  “This has got to be a joke.”

“It’s no joke, Thomerson,” James said, barely able to contain his excitement.

“I’ll get you for this, James Blackthorne,” he said angrily.  “You may think you’ve won but believe me I will crush you into the ground.”

“Good luck,” James said confidently, then kissed Alex on the cheek.  “Alex, it’s been a pleasure.  Congratulations on your annulment.”

She smiled.  “Thank you, James.”

After he left, Will looked back at Alex with pleading eyes.  “You can’t do this to me, Alex.  You can’t take his side over mine.  What happened to our plans to destroy him together?”

Alex thought about Jordan and the way she shamefully treated him.  “Some things are more important than revenge,” she said before brushing past him and going back into the restaurant.

Will watched her go, intent on setting things right.  James may have gotten his studio back, but he’d never let Alex get away with making a fool of him.   Never.

Brett approached Miranda in the lobby and grabbed her arm, pulling her toward the door.  “Come on, let’s go home,” he said.

“Wait!” Miranda exclaimed.  “When are you going to tell me what’s going on with you and Stormy?”

“I’ll tell you later,” Brett said, simply wanting to get out of the restaurant.  After the confrontation with Stormy in the dressing room, the club was the last place on earth he wanted to be. 

On their way out the door, he spotted Lauren coming out of the ladies room and walked over to her casually, leaving Miranda waiting by the door.   He leaned in and whispered into her ear. 

“Meet me at the pool house at the Blackthorne mansion at ten,” he said slyly, then slipped back across the room to his wife.

Lauren shuddered, growing increasingly distraught by Brett’s demands.   What good were they now anyway?  He’d already told Stormy he knew about their affair.  There were no secrets anymore.   She refused to play the victim of his disgusting blackmail attempts anymore.

James was standing at the bar with Stormy when a waiter approached and gathered his attention.

“Mr. Blackthorne, your nephew just called,” said the waiter.  “He wanted to tell you that Miss Taylor was taken to the hospital and to meet them there.”

“What?” James exclaimed, alarmed by the suddenly news.  “What happened?  Is she all right?”

“I’m sorry, sir.  That’s all he said.”

“Oh my God,” Stormy said.  “Dad, you have to go.”

James nodded, trying to get his wits about him.  No sooner had he gotten his business life back on track than the mother of his child was hauled off to the hospital.  It was never ending.   “All right, I’m sorry, Stormy.  I know it’s your big night but-“

“Go!” Stormy insisted.  “Just call me as soon as you know anything.”

James was already flying through the restaurant to the doors.  He prayed that Brooke was all right.  If anything happened to her or their baby he would be devastated.

Shocked by the sudden news, Stormy looked around the room for Lauren, realizing that it was almost time for her to perform.   They had to get some kind of order assembled at the party.  After the incident with Brett in the back room, he thought the party would be over before it really began.   After tonight, he’d have to do some damage control to be sure that Brett didn’t tell Heather what he knew.   If his wife found out he was having an affair, it would kill her.  And hurting Heather was the last thing he wanted to do.

He opened the door to Lauren’s dressing room and found her sitting on the sofa looking miserable, blotting her smudged eye makeup with a tissue.

“Hey, what’s going on?” he asked, rushing over and sitting down beside her.  “What’s this all about?”

Shaking her head, Lauren looked up at him and tried to stifle her tears.  “Everything’s such a mess, Stormy,” she said, sobbing.  “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.  I fell in love with you.  I just wanted to protect you. I didn’t want to put you in a bad position.”

“Lauren, what are you talking about?” Stormy asked, trying to make sense of what she was saying.  “You haven’t put me in any position.”

She shook her head in despair.  “When Brett found out about us, he said he would tell Heather unless I…”

“Unless you what?”

Cowering in humiliation, Lauren sunk back in the sofa.  “Unless I slept with him.”

Stormy shot up from the sofa in a rage.  “He made you sleep with him in exchange for his silence?” he asked in disbelief.  “Lauren, I-“

“I had to do it,” she sobbed.  “I’m sorry, Stormy.  I just knew how much you wanted to keep it from Heather so I thought that if I…and now he wants me to meet him at the pool house tonight.”

Stormy quickly ran to the door and bolted out into the hall in a rage.  He wasn’t going to let Brett get away with this.   He’d gone too far.

Winter grew increasingly distraught as he paced around her apartment.  She went over dozens of scenarios over and over again in her mind, trying to predict what would happen when Brooke was found at the bottom of the staircase at the Blackthorne mansion. 

Repeatedly glancing at the phone and the door, she waited on the edge of her seat to hear any news at all.  Suddenly she stopped pacing when an unsettling fact occurred to her.

She was supposed to have met Ethan at Lauren’s party over an hour ago.  Was he coming over or calling her asking where she was?  No.  It was almost as if he didn’t even care whether she was there or not.

Before long she found herself praying that Brooke lost her baby, because if Ethan ever found out he was the father, she'd lose him for sure.

James raced into the emergency room at Cedars-Sinai and found Ethan pacing back and forth.  He darted toward him and grabbed him by the arms.

“How is she?” he asked in a heated frenzy.  “Tell me Brooke is all right, Ethan!”

Ethan shook his head and tried to calm his uncle down.  “Dr. Mitchell is still in with her now,” he said.  “I haven’t gotten any information yet.”

“Damn!” James yelled, clenching his fists and kicking a coffee table with his wing tips.   He was suddenly reminded of a night a few months ago when Brooke was taken to the hospital after Miranda hit her with her car.  The waiting drove him crazy then and it was much worse now.  Now he had a baby to worry about as well.   “How did it happen?”

“I don’t know for sure,” Ethan replied.  “When she hadn’t shown up at the party I went to the mansion to look for her.  I walked in and found her laying at the bottom of the stairs.  I think she fell.”

“Oh dear God,” James said, rubbing his face with his hands.  “Please let my baby be okay.”

Just then, Dr. Mitchell appeared from the examining room and approached them rapidly.  “Mr. Blackthorne?” she asked, stopping when she got to James.  “I’m Dr. Mitchell, Brooke’s obstetrician.”

“Dr. Mitchell, is she okay?” James asked, stricken with concern

“She’s conscious but she’s suffered quite a shock,” Dr. Mitchell replied.