Previously...

Dr. Farraday determined that James should have regained feeling in his legs, and asked if he was taking any medications that might inhibit his healing.  Stormy confronted Gwen and asked what James was currently taking. Brett convinced Gwen not to say anything about the pills they were giving him. Will wondered if Ethan was his son. Philip Whitacre returned to town and asked Alex to help him get settled. When she refused, he stole keys to her cabin in Big Bear.  Gwen told Brett that she was pregnant with his child.  Rather than risk her exposing his lies, he made her believe that he would leave Miranda for her when the time was right. A jealous Ethan watched from the shadows as Brooke celebrated the 4th of July with James.  

Episode 29

"Downpour"

Ethan arrived at Will Thomerson's estate, grabbed a glass of champagne and stood in the corner watching the boring industry types hobnobbing with each other at the less than exciting industry party.  He sighed and sidled along the wall, wishing to stay clear of anyone who might draw him into a conversation.  He was in no mood to talk to anyone tonight.  After all, it was Independence day, and he'd never been more independent.  His family had disowned him, the woman he loved was with another man, and overall there wasn't much worth celebrating.

"Is this a small world or what?" asked a voice from behind.

Quickly, he spun around and came face to face with Janet Harper.  His frown immediately turned to a smile and he laughed at her remark.  "I think it might be," he said, taking a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and handing it to her

"You got here awfully late," she said with a playful smile.  She was dressed elegantly in a black evening gown and a festive red bag clutched in her hand.  "I was getting a little uncomfortable.  I don't know anyone here, I only got in with my press ID, and everyone seems to be coupling off.  Kind of reminds me of high school dances when I was the only one not getting kissed."

Ethan cleared his throat and nervously learned forward to kiss her.  Once their lips touched, he knew he had to have her.  The sweet taste of her lips and the exciting smell of her perfume left him panting with desire.  Seconds later, they were embroiled in a passionate kiss and everyone else in the room seemed to fade into the background.

"That definitely makes up for the senior prom," Janet said and licked her glossy red lips.   "Would you like to dance?"

He nodded eagerly and gently led her to the dance floor where they began a slow effortless motion in the twinkling lights of the ballroom.

Will Thomerson watched them from a distance, nodding graciously to a few passing guests and lifting a glass of champagne to his lips.  He studied Ethan’s face and wondered if his hunch was right.  If so, they were all going to be in for a big surprise.

Moments later, the butler opened the doors in the entryway and bowed regally at Heather Blackthorne who entered the estate dressed in a flowing silver gown, adorned heavily around the neck with Will’s generous ruby and diamond necklace.

She entered the adjoining ballroom and spotted Will standing alone.  Taking a deep breath, she walked over to him and smiled gleefully, gesturing to the necklace. 

“What do you think?” she asked.

Will turned to her and a maniacal smile spread across his face.  The loathing he felt for James Blackthorne surfaced ten fold.  The fact that his nemesis had used young Heather as a spy for his studio was beyond contempt.  His first instinct was to throw her out of his house and damn her for daring to tread on his territory. 

But after quickly reminding himself that he needed her to exact his revenge on his enemies, he politely took her hand and drew him toward him.  “You look ravishing, my dear,” he said elegantly and kissed her cheek.  “I thought you'd never get here.  May I have this dance?”

“Of course,” Heather said and began waltzing across the dance floor with him.  She’d made the difficult decision to remain with Will Thomerson despite her better judgment, and despite Ethan’s warnings against it.  Ethan knew of her betrayal but with any luck he wouldn’t tell Will.   If Brett wasn’t going to help her get into the business, then Will certainly would.

Stormy and Miranda remained in the family room after the rest of the family had gone up to bed.  They looked through old photo albums and reminisced about childhood summers with their family.  When Brett left them twenty minutes after Gwen did, Stormy grew immediately suspicious.  He knew something was going on but couldn’t quite put his finger on it.  But just as quickly his attention was shifted when Miranda brought up a sore subject.

“Stormy, what ever happened to that woman?” she asked.  “The one you said you met when you were on tour with Lauren?”

Frowning, he looked at her and shook his head.  “Why are you bringing that up?” he asked in dismay.

“There’s something different about you since you came back,” Miranda said, turning to him on the sofa and closing the photo album.  “You seem determined.  Not like when you started Good Times Records.  This is different.  I can’t help but wonder what happened during those five months you were away.”

He smiled awkwardly and thought about the brief affair he’d had with the woman in Denver.  “It was just a fling,” he explained.  “I met Samantha at the bar at the hotel and…one thing led to another.”

“Have you seen this Samantha since then?” Miranda asked curiously.  “Or talked to her?”

Shaking his head, he turned and looked at his hands resting in his lap.  “I wouldn’t know where to find her,” he said.  “She didn’t say much about herself.”

Miranda rolled her eyes.  “Oh how romantic,” she mused.  “An anonymous hookup in the hotel bar and then it’s back to your own lives.  When are you going to stop treating sex as something so trivial?  Need I remind you of what happened when you were married to Heather and decided it would be okay to dip into Lauren Spencer’s pool?”

He shot her a look of warning.  “No, you don’t,” he said.  “Believe me, if I could find this woman I would.  There was something about her.  She was lonely.  I felt like we really connected.”

“I bet you did,” Miranda scoffed, then hit him playfully on the shoulder.

Back at Will Thomerson’s estate, the party was dwindling down and only a few sole guests remained in the vast ballroom on the first floor.  He’d sent Heather home, not able to summon the energy to put up a front with her for an entire evening.  He’d deal with her later.  He had other things to worry about in the meantime.

“You’re taking off then?” Will said to Ethan as he caught up with him at the door.

Ethan nodded and finished his champagne.  “Yes.  It was a great party, Will.  A success in every way.”

“I can see that,” Will said with a grin as he gestured to Janet Harper who waited for Ethan just outside the doors.  “Ethan, you do know about Miss Harper’s reputation, don’t you?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“She’s built quite a name for herself back in Denver,” Will announced.  “I just hope you know what you’re getting into.  Nothing you say is off the record with women like Janet Harper.”

Ethan chuckled heartily.  "I seriously doubt that anything I know is of interest to her,” he said.  “As if there’s something to tell that hasn’t already been uncovered by the tabloids.”

Will offered him a friendly pat on the back and took his empty glass from him.  They exchanged goodnights and Ethan left to meet up with Janet on the porch.  Just as Will closed the door, his butler appeared and handed him a plastic bag. 

"Thank you, Gerald," Will said and sealed Ethan's glass tightly inside the bag.  

The next morning, after the family enjoyed an elaborate breakfast, James followed Brooke into the foyer as she slipped on her white fur coat.

"I don't like you going by yourself," he said.   "Why don't I have Stormy or Brett go with you, Darling."

Brooke shook her head in protest.  "Don't be silly," she said.  "It's just a doctor's appointment, James.  I'll be back in an hour tops.  And just think, this will probably be the last one before the baby comes."

The prospect made him smile from ear to ear.  "I hope so," he said.  "I just want my wife and baby home with me."

"Soon," she said and bent down to kiss his lips.  "And when I get home we'll start thinking about a name.  How does that sound?"

"You're on," James said and watched her exit through the giant doors leading to the chauffeured limousine parked in the porte-cochere. 

The uniformed driver was wearing dark sunglasses and a hat pulled tightly down onto his forehead.  He opened the rear door for Brooke and she climbed into the back, bundling her white fur tightly around her body.   The driver secured his uniform hat snugly over his head and glanced carefully around the front drive before returning to the driver's seat and adjusted his sunglasses.

The car quickly lurched forward and started down the long driveway toward the main road.  In the back seat, Brooke sat in quiet reflection of the glorious summer evening she'd shared with James.

Will Thomerson paced back and forth in his study that morning, continuously glancing at the fax machine in heated anticipation.  He wrung his hands together and paused at the window, then back at the phone and the fax.

The exhilaration was insurmountable.  The possibility that a simple DNA test taken from Ethan's champagne glass could prove that he was his son was enough to keep him up all night.   The lab at Cedars-Sinai had promised to get him the results by mid morning and he was on pins and needles waiting.

Years of betrayal by James Blackthorne were about to bubble to the surface and finally come to light.  And if that were the case - if Ethan was indeed his son - he would make James pay dearly for keeping it from him.

Brooke had been so busy with warm thoughts of her and James' new life together, and of the joy they would soon share when their baby arrived, that she didn't immediately notice when the limousine had passed by the hospital and kept heading east toward the Valley.

When she finally glanced out the window she saw pebbles of rain hitting the windows.  Seconds later the sky opened up and a downpour of rain emptied onto the roads.  She sighed, only then noticing that they were a good half-hour outside of the city.  She pressed the button to lower the partition so she could speak to the driver.

"Is everything okay?" she called to the front, still glancing nervously outside the foggy windows.  "We passed the hospital a while ago."

The driver didn't reply, which only made her more uneasy.  He stared through the windshield, wiper blades swishing rapidly.  He stayed hidden behind his hat and sunglasses and drove intently along the highway.

Growing increasingly alarmed, Brooke began breathing heavily and peering through the windows to get a better idea of where they were.  The rain was coming down so hard that she could barely see a thing.  The speed which they traveled made her stomach turn and she had to physically prevent herself from getting sick.  She hoped that the driver could keep the car on the road and not send them hydroplaning off into a ditch.

"Where are we going?" she called to the driver.   "Does my husband know about this?"

Still the chauffeur remained silent, staring straight ahead with steadfast control.  He ignored Brooke as she thrashed about in the back seat in a blind panic.

"Oh my God," she whispered to herself as she realized she was being held against her will.   Fear crept into her mind as she desperately tried to think of a way out.  A quick glance to the seat beside her reminded her that she didn't bring her purse, which meant her cell phone was at home as well.

She was trapped. 

Alex spent the morning lounging in the new silk robe Jordan had given her as a guilt gift, sipping tea and pouring over business plans for her new venture with Marilee Wells-Walker.  Jordan had gone out for a ride at the stables after unsuccessfully trying to convince her to come along.  Riding had never been here forte.  Now she expected him back momentarily because of the sudden rainstorm.

Nibbling at a heaping of caviar, she was interrupted when the doors to the parlor opened and the butler entered to announce a visitor.   "Ms. Reynolds, Mr. Thomerson is here to see you."

The unwelcome visit sent her into a tailspin and she quickly rose from the velvet settee that she'd spent the morning perched on.   "Tell him to get the hell out of here," she ordered.  "I have no intention of-"

"You know it's bad manners to hide behind your servants," Will Thomerson said as he forced himself into the room.  "Hello Alex."

Gordon stood back and positioned himself by the phone.  "Shall I call the police, ma'am?" he asked.

Alex took a deep cleansing breath and shook her head with frustration. "No, that won't be necessary," she replied. "Mr. Thomerson won't be staying long."

The butler obligingly ducked back out of the room and closed the doors.  After he was out of sight, Alex floated across the room and positioned herself inches from Will, her hands plastered on her hips.

"What the hell do you want?"

"I'm on a fact finding mission you might say," Will replied, then smiled and removed a piece of paper from his jacket pocket.  "Well, I actually already have the facts.  I just want to know how involved you are."

Alex rolled her eyes and walked over to the desk and lit a cigarette.  "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," she said.  "Get to the point and get out.  I’m in no mood to talk to you.  Not after trying to kill me last summer.  You remember, don't you?  Your hands ever-so delicately tightened around my neck?"

"I had good reason for threatening you," Will countered.  "You married me on the pretense that we were going to destroy James Blackthorne.  Then you doublecrossed me just to try to win him back.  As far as I'm concerned you've waged a war with me."

"Is that it?" Alex asked with a laugh.  "You've lost your touch, Will.  I'm not even trembling."

Quickly he rushed toward her and presented the DNA results from the hospital.  "And you'll have no reason to as long as you tell me you had no idea about this lie that James Blackthorne has perpetuated for the past twenty-eight years."

Alex glanced at the paper and then quickly took a step back.  "No…." she gasped.

"That's right," he continued.  "I know that Ethan is my son.  I have the DNA results to prove it.  Now how long has James Blackthorne known?  And how long have you known?  You were his wife.  I’m sure he told you everything."

Nervously, she darted across the room and poured herself a stiff drink.  What on earth made him decide to get a DNA test done?  She knew that James never wanted Will or Ethan to find out the truth.  Now this.  James was going to be devastated.

"Your silence tells me that you've known for quite some time," Will said solemnly.   "And James?  I suppose he's known since the beginning."

Alex turned to him in a panic.  "What difference does it make?" she lamented.  "Who cares who knows or how long they've known?  The important question is what are you going to do now?  Does Ethan know?"

"No he doesn't know," Will replied.  "I just found out myself.  And how dare you tell me it doesn't matter.  Do you realize that I've had a son for twenty-eight years that I knew nothing about?  We've been working together in the same house for the past five months and we had no clue we were father and son.  Does that seem right to you, Alex?  Does it?"

Words failed Alex as she searched for something to say to justify James's actions.  She knew he had his reasons for keeping it a secret, mostly surrounding the way his sister had died all those years ago.   But it wasn't her battle to fight.   She only found out by accident.  James didn't even know that she knew.

"Just get out of here!" she finally said in a craze. 

He gritted his teeth and threw a crystal carafe of vodka across the room in a blind fury.  "I swear to God I'll make you and James Blackthorne pay for this betrayal," he groaned menacingly.  "You people can't go around playing God like this.  Life doesn't happen the way you and James Blackthorne command it to.  I won't rest until every person who kept this from me is rotting in hell!"

With that, he turned and bolted from the room.  A crash of thunder echoed through the house and Alex covered her mouth with her hands and let out a terrified gasp.  She knew Will would carry out with his threats.  He wasn't about to sit by and let something this big go unpunished.

Brooke whimpered silently in the back seat of the limo.  She looked at her watch and saw that she'd already been gone for over an hour.  People would start wondering where she was before long.  She was only going to Dr. Mitchell for a final checkup prior to her due date. 

Pressure in her ears told her they were climbing higher into the mountains, probably northeast of L.A.  The mountain terrain was clearly visible from their location.  She peered outside and saw that the rain was falling harder than ever from the sky, a sure sign that they were getting further and further away from the city.

"Where are you taking me?" she demanded, tears streaming down her face.  "Please!  I just want to go home!  I swear I won't tell anyone!"

But the driver continued driving silently, ignoring her pleas.  He had to keep his eyes on the road.  One wrong move and they could go sliding off the road into a pool of mud.

Realizing she had to do something fast, Brooke tried the door handle.  Locked.  The driver had set the safety lock from the front seat preventing her from opening it.  She pulled at the handle anyway, frustrated and desperate to escape from her certain doom.  She didn't know who was behind her kidnapping but whoever it was obviously had a plan.  Where was he taking her? 

In a frenzied moment, she lunged forward and tried to sabotage the car to get it to stop long enough for her to make an escape.  She knew it was dangerous on the wet, winding road but with any luck the fates were on her side.

She fumbled for the gearshift and the driver pushed her hand away, struggling to return her to the back seat.  Brooke persisted, crying out in desperation as she scratched at his face and knocked his hat and sunglasses off his face.

The driver quickly tried looking away from her but Brooke had already gotten a long look at her kidnapper.

"Philip?" she gasped in horror.

Heather ran out of the conservatory at the Blackthorne mansion and raced down the hall to see if James was in his study.  She pushed the door open and found him quietly reading next to the window.

"James, Dr. Mitchell just called," she said in bated breath.  "Brooke never showed up for her appointment."

He immediately looked up and flew into a panic.  A flash of lightening lit up the room.  "What?  Are you sure?"

"Yes, she never made it to the hospital.  Her appointment was almost two hours ago."

The news rattled James to the core.  Quickly, he wheeled himself out into the foyer and hollered for Leilani.  "Leilani, has my wife come home yet?" he asked.

"No sir," she replied. 

"Well did she call?"

"No."

James and Heather exchanged worried glances.  Brooke's disappearance gave him a bitter sense of déjà vu.  Only six months ago she disappeared without a trace.  She took off in the middle of the day.   Now he had her back again and he'd be damned if he'd let history repeat itself.

"What's going on?" Stormy asked as he walked down the hall from the gym, dabbing his sweaty face and neck with a towel.

"Brooke's gone," Heather said in a panic.  "We have to find her, Stormy."

He immediately flew into action.  "I'll check upstairs."