| Previously...
Kenny
informed James the lender had given him a three month
extension on his loan. Meanwhile, the mysterious
woman in New York City spoke to an unseen caller and
revealed that she was the backing on James's loan, and
that she planned on getting Sunset Studios for
herself. Miranda fired Kelly from the hotel for
sleeping with her brother. James cut Alex's role
in Angel Assassin 2 and upped Kelly's part, infuriating
Alex. Alex gave Kelly fair warning and insisted
she leave Stormy alone. Heather expressed concern over
Violet's mental capacity when the infant hadn't cried
since the delivery. Miranda had it out with Brooke over
David, insisting she wasn't affected by their breakup.
Brooke maintained that she and David were just
friends. Roz gave David a cryptic warning to leave
Brooke alone. Jordan got a myserious note that
claimed he had killed Suzanne. Later, he beat
Frank Dunning up in the parking garage at Sunset
Studios. Roz made another attempt at getting James
to try to win Brooke back. Renee overheard and
wondered what Roz's intentions were, then revealed
that she was certain she'd met Roz before. David told Brooke
that she reminded him of Babydoll, a girl that he met
in Big Bear some twenty years earlier. Roz fround
photos of Brooke as a young girl taken in Big Bear with
the name Babydoll scribbled on the back.
Episode
80
"Meet-Cute"
The
doorbell rang as Brooke bounded down the stairs of her townhome in Glendale. She made her way to the front door, cutting
her mother off as she approached from the kitchen.
“I’ve
got it,” Brooke said and pulled the door open.
Roz shrugged indifferently and returned to the kitchen where Michael was
snacking on crackers and juice.
“Is
Michael ready?” Ethan asked from the porch.
He dug his hands in his pockets, his eyes hidden behind dark aviator
sunglasses.
“Yeah,
but I wanted to talk to you fist. Can we
go outside for a minute?”
He
shrugged. “Yeah, fine.”
Brooke
glanced back at her mother before leading Ethan outside and closing the door
behind. The minute she heard the latch
close, Roz darted to the door and leaned against it, straining to hear the details
of their conversation.
“What’s
this all about?” Ethan asked. “Is
Michael okay?”
Brooke
folded her arms. “Michael is fine. It’s us
I’m worried about.”
“Us?” Ethan asked with a frown. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m
talking about this,” she began and
motioned to the dead space between them.
“This thing that’s been going on between us lately.”
“Brooke,
I don’t know what you’re talking about.
What thing?“
“You
show up here every Friday, stand out here on the porch while you wait for me to
get Michael ready, you barely say two words to me before you leave, and then
it’s the same thing when you bring him back on Sunday. I thought we were past all the animosity. It’s been months since we broke up. Why are you still angry with me?”
He
chuckled to himself and looked off in the distance before removing his
sunglasses and gazing disapprovingly at her.
“You want to know why I’m angry with you?” he asked.
“Yes,
I do. I think I have a right to
know. If this is about me ending things
then-“
“It’s
not about you ending things, Brooke. If
you don’t want to be with me then I’m fine with that. What I’m not fine with is you lying to me
about why you did it.”
“I
haven’t lied about anything.”
“What
about David?” Ethan asked. “You told me
that you weren’t interested in him, and that he wasn’t the reason we aren’t
together, but then lo and behold, you’re showing up all over town on his arm.”
“I’m
not showing up all over town with him,” she insisted. “I went to one hotel opening with him, and it
just so happened that the media was there covering it and caught us on camera
together. I told you before that I’m not
interested in David Jenner. Not
romantically, anyway.”
“Then
why does he pop up every time I turn around?
Why was he the one you turned to last year when James was in the
hospital? Why am I still the one who you
can’t open up to?”
Sighing,
Brooke ran her fingers through her tangle of blond hair and glanced
uncomfortably back at the door. “I can’t
do this again,” she said, her eyes finally settling back on him. “I can’t keep going over this same thing with
you, Ethan. Don’t you understand? I need to be my own person. I can’t keep running to you or James whenever
something goes wrong in my life.”
“We
support each other. What’s wrong with
that?”
“But every time we’re together it’s
for the wrong reasons. I’ve used you and
I’ve hurt you. I’ve got to stop doing
that. I’ve got to learn to be
independent. Please try and understand.”
Silently,
he pushed back on his sunglasses and dug his hands in his pockets. “I need to get going,” he said. “Would you mind getting
Michael ready?”
Dropping
her hands to her sides, Brooke reluctantly turned back and opened the
door. As she entered the house, Roz
approached with Michael and handed him over to Ethan.
“See you Sunday,”
Brooke said and kissed her son on the forehead.
She lingered for a moment, her eyes meeting with Ethan’s. “Look, I’m sorry. I just-“
Before she could
continue, Ethan hastily snatched the overnight bag from the floor, turned, and
raced back outside the house.
Roz
parted her lips to interject a comment but Brooke held up a hand in protest as
she fled back up the stairs.

Miranda
Blackthorne walked across the lobby of Hotel
Terranova, her heels clicking on the terracotta floor as a team of banquet
managers flocked about her. She
scribbled her signature on a few pieces of paper and answered a few questions with
brief, concise responses, all the while keeping up her manic pace toward her
office.
Glancing
up, she spotted David Jenner approaching from the lounge. The corners of her mouth curled into a smile
and she quickly waived off the flock of hotel employees. Smoothing down her skirt and primping her
hair, she flashed a brilliant smile. By
the time he neared, she realized he hadn’t been walking toward her at all, but
straight out the front doors without so much as a glance in her direction.
Refusing
to allow herself to be hurt and disappointed again, she took a deep breath and
made her way to the outdoor terrace for a breath of fresh air. How many times did she have to get her hopes
up and have them dashed again by David Jenner before she realized there was no
hope? She’d never let a man get to her
this way. Why was she letting it happen
now? There had to be something, someone that could help her get back to
her old self again.
Just
as the words floated through her mind, her eyes landed on her brother a hundred
yards up playing a rousing game of tennis with Eddie Distefano. Immediately all thoughts of David Jenner
vanished and she instead became embroiled in the memories of her night with
Eddie several weeks earlier. She found
herself staring at his lean muscular body, his shirtless torso soaked in sweat
as he swung the racket back and forth on the court.
Flushed
faced, she grabbed a chair to steady herself.
Of all the guys in Hollywood
to lust over, why did it have to be an aimless dork like Eddie? Sure, he had a legendary father and an
adorable younger brother, but what else did he have going for him besides a
descent body? Not that that was even too
rare in Los Angeles. Eddie had been nothing but an annoying pain
in her butt since they were kids. She
had to keep reminding herself of that.
Before
she could turn and walk back inside, she heard him calling her name. Although she thought better of stopping and
acknowledging him, she found herself turning back just as he approached.
“Miranda,
it’s good to see you,” Eddie said, a sheepish grin on his face and his hands
resting on his hips. “Care to play the
winner?”
“Huh?”
she asked, distracted because she was too busy pretending to be
unaffected.
“No
offense to your brother, but he isn’t exactly a pro. Maybe I could take you on.”
“No
thanks,” she said with a frown. She
wasn’t quite sure if he was trying to be provocative or if he was just being
his usual loser self.
“Hey,”
he said, stopping her from walking away.
“What are you doing tonight?
Maybe we can catch a movie or have dinner someplace. I think they’re playing an Indiana Jones double feature at the
Galaxy.”
It
was then that Miranda decided no amount of amazing sex could change the fact
that Eddie was a dork, plain and simple.
Other girls might be blinded by his appealing façade, but she wasn’t. “I think I’ll pass,” she said with as much indifference
as she could muster. With that, she
turned and flitted back inside the hotel.
Just
as she’d disappeared, Stormy came running up and handed Eddie a bottle of
water. “What’s up?” he asked. “What were you and Miranda talking about?”
Eddie
shook his head, convincing himself it didn’t matter. “Nothing,” he said. “Come on, I’ll let you try to regain your
standing. Two out of three.”
Stormy
chuckled and followed him back to the court.

Inside
the crowded dining room, Renee and Sierra caught
up over breakfast, although
barely a second went by where the conversation stalled long enough for any
eating to get done.
“And
the professors,” Sierra was saying, waving her hands and gesturing with excitement. “They’re so talented. Some of them have been in the business for
fifty years. And my vocal coach. Wow, he is just amazing. I’ve learned so much in just one semester and
there’s still so much more to learn.”
Renee
beamed with approval. “I’m so happy
school is going well, Sierra,” she said.
“And that you’re happy. That
means more to me than you’ll ever know.”
“I
am happy,” she said. “I really feel like I fit in in New York City. There’s so much energy and excitement. I mean, I’ve been to a lot of places. Paris, Stockholm, Cambridge, L.A. But nothing compares to New York City.”
“It’s
an amazing place,” Renee agreed. “Your
grandfather would take me along when he went there on business trips. Summer in Central Park
and Christmas on Madison Avenue were some of my favorite memories growing up.”
“I’ve
met so many wonderful people,” Sierra went on without missing a beat. “The girls in my dorm are so edgy. They’re nothing like the refined snobs I went to school with in Europe. I think I could really learn a lot from
them.”
“You
mean you could learn to be edgy?” Renee asked with a sly grin. The prospect made her smile from ear to
ear. She reached her hand across the
table and touched it gently to Sierra’s.
“Oh baby, I’ve missed you so much.
I’m thrilled that you are enjoying your life but I’m so glad to have you
back for the summer.”
Sierra
grew quiet, glancing around awkwardly before resting her eyes back on her
mother. “Well, the thing is I’m not
exactly planning on staying for the whole summer,” she said.
“What
do you mean?” Renee asked with a start.
“This is your home, Darling. I
know it doesn’t feel like it, but-“
“It’s
not that, mom. I mean, I love being able
to see you. But I think I’d like to go
back to New York
for a while and spend some time there this summer. I’ll still come back and visit before school
starts again.”
“What
will you do in New York?”
Renee asked, unable to hide her disappointment in her daughter’s decision. “No one will be on campus until fall. Where will you live?”
“In
an apartment,” Sierra explained. “I
found one in the West Village. It’s a sublet. It’s so adorable. I can live there until school starts again
and then move back into the dorms.”
Renee
was speechless. So many questions that a
mother instinctively would ask ran through her mind but she knew she had to
tread carefully. Sierra had been on her
own much of her life and was not accustomed to having someone treat her like a
child. It took every ounce of her will
power to refrain.
“What
is it?” Sierra asked. “You don’t
approve?”
“It’s
not that I don’t approve. I mean, I want you to have experiences, to live life
to the fullest. I just-“ A pause while she rearranged her thoughts. “New
York is such a big place. I’m afraid you’ll wind up lonely and lost.”
“I
won’t,” Sierra said with a knowing smile.
Renee
regarded her carefully. She knew the
look on her face all to well. “It
sounds like there may be someone else in the picture.”
Sierra
couldn’t help but smile. “Well, sort
of,” she began. “There’s this guy I
met. His name is Malcolm. He’s a record producer. Up and coming. We’ve been laying down some tracks and he
thinks I have a real solid sound. We’re
going to work on some music this summer and see what happens. Don’t worry, I’m not getting my hopes up,”
she was quick to add. “I still want to
finish school and be trained formally. I just want to try this. Can you understand?”
Renee
sighed heavily. The truth was she could
understand perfectly. She saw so much of
herself in her daughter. “So this
Malcolm. Tell me about him.”
“He’s
so amazing and talented. He comes from a
very respectable family. His father is
some big name in the business. We’re
really in synch, you know. And he
doesn’t care who my family is. He sees
potential in me.”
“Is
Malcolm a friend, or more than that?”
Sierra
shrugged awkwardly. “He’s a…friend,” she
said, then broke into a smile.
Renee
sipped her coffee.
“Well, I wouldn’t be a good mother if I didn’t at least caution you to
be careful. I once had a relationship
with a man in the music industry.”
“You
never told me that,” Sierra said in amazement.
“When?"
“In
my twenties,” Renee said. “Before I
married Kenny and before I had you. He
was something special. Or so I
thought. Wealthy, debonaire, incredibly
handsome with wavy black hair and tons of charisma. We had a very
brief romance but I really thought I
was in love. My father, on the other hand, couldn't stand him.”
“What
happened?”
Renee
grew into a thoughtful daze before continuing. “His work was very demanding on his time.
Anyway, I found myself alone much of the time
and eventually we just realized it wasn’t going anywhere so we called it off.”
“Mom,
I appreciate your concern, but I’m not going to fall head over heels with
Malcolm. We like hanging out and that’s
enough for now. I promise I won’t go
jumping into anything.”
Renee
smiled and grabbed hold of her hand again.
“How did you get so smart?” she asked with a laugh and stood up from the
table. “Come on. If I only have a few days with you then I
want to spend as much time together as we can.”
Sierra
stood up and hugged her warmly before they continued through the dining room to
the elevators.

“I
swear to God I will sue.”
“You
will not,” James replied with irritation.
“Stop being so dramatic, Alex.”
“I
am not being dramatic!” she insisted,
puffing away at a cigarette as she stormed around James’s office at Sunset Studios. “I signed on for a starring role in Angel Assassin 2 and you’ve diminished
my part to a pathetic supporting character who dies a third of a way through
the film and then appears in flashbacks and as an apparition filmed on a closed
set in front of a green screen! This was
supposed to be my big return to the business!”
“Alex,
calm down for a minute,” Jordan
said from his perch by the window. “I already told you that I will mortgage my
house to pay the rest of the fines to the government. You don’t have to put up with this at all.
Just walk off the set and leave James twisting in the wind. That should teach him to renege on a
contract.”
“What
are you even doing here, Jordan?”
James asked with irritation. “As a
direct competitor, and considering the fact that my new film is being shot just
a few hundred yards away, I could easily have you escorted off the property and
banned from being allowed back.”
Jordan
shot him a who gives a crap look and
turned back to the window.
“The
money isn’t even the issue,” Alex insisted, stopping inches from James and
pointing a threatening finger in his face.
“You tossed me aside – the mother of your children – and brought that tramp
on as my cheap knockoff replacement. How
could you do that to me, James? I
thought we were close. I thought we’d
moved past all the animosity.”
“This
has nothing to do with our relationship,” he explained for the hundredth
time. “Kelly can work for a fraction of the salary you were
making. Considering the fact that we’re
so far behind schedule and over budget, I’d do it all again if I had to. I’m sorry if that’s not what you want to hear
but it’s a mathematical fact.”
“Great. So what am I supposed to do?” Alex asked.
“You’ll
get other offers,” James insisted. "Now start acting like a professional.
This is the nature of the business.”
“A
professional?” Alex asked in awe. “You
want me to act like a professional?”
James
rolled his eyes and followed as she huffed out of the office and down the hall
to the exit. She raced out to the set
where the cast and crew had gathered.
Kelly was standing on the sidelines getting a touchup on her hair and
makeup when Alex approached and glared angrily at her.
“It
looks like you got exactly what you wanted, didn’t you?” she demanded.
“I
beg your pardon?” Kelly asked, feigning ignorance.
“You
wormed your way into my family, my son’s bed, and now you’ve stolen my part
in this film.”
“Miss
Reynolds, I’m so sorry. I had no idea-“
“Don’t
even bother,” Alex cut her off just as James and Jordan approached from behind.
“I’ve known too many women like you and
you’re all the same. Well let me tell
you one thing, honey, you’re going to find out very soon that this business can
be more cruel than you’d ever imagined.
This town will eat you alive. And
when it spits you out, don’t expect anyone to come to your rescue.”
With
that, she turned and stormed through the crowd toward her car.
After
the volatile confrontation, Kelly ran off to her trailer and slammed the door
behind. Stormy arrived just at that
moment and looked around, unsure of what had transpired but certain it was his
mother doing the instigating.
“Are
you okay?” he asked once inside the trailer.
“What happened?”
“Stormy,
I don’t think I can do this,” Kelly replied, bursting into tears and throwing
her arms around him. “Your mother hates
me. She’s convinced I’m out to steal the
limelight from her. I never even asked
for any of this. All I wanted was one
small walk-on role. Now she hates me and
she’ll never approve of us together.”
“It’s
not your fault,” he said, smoothing his hand down the back of her head in an effort
to calm her. He knew his mother was
capable of being hateful, but the fact that she brought the woman he loved to
tears was going too far. Movie or no
movie, he was not going to let her get away with it.
“Am
I that horrible of a person?” she asked, secretly smiling at the
prospect of pushing the queen off her throne.
There was a certain satisfaction in the ease with which it had been
done. She was convinced that it was only
a matter of time before she was the biggest name in Hollywood.
“No,
of course not,” Stormy said. “You’ve
stepped in and done me and my father a favor.
Without you this movie would have tanked, and the studio would have gone
under. Don’t worry. I’ll handle my mother.”

At
the marina, Heather opened the door of her and Brett’s condo and smiled as
Miranda entered, a giant Chanel purse
pulled tightly over her shoulder.
“Where
is she?” Miranda asked with a smile as she made a B-line to the bassinette
positioned across the room.
“I’ve
been trying to get her to take a nap but she’s been kind of fussy,” Heather
said, the strain of caring for a newborn evident on her weary face. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail and she
wore a comfortable sweatsuit stained with formula.
“Oh,
well she was probably waiting for her aunt Miranda to come over and see her
first,” Miranda said with a smile, picking Violet up into her arms and holding
her close against her bosom. “She’s so
quiet. How can you tell she’s fussy?”
Heather
shrugged and watched eagerly. “She just
won’t close her eyes. She stares at her
mobile for hours and doesn’t even move.”
Miranda
knew what Heather was thinking and she tried her best to assure her
otherwise. “Babies tend to get fixated
on objects,” she said. “And she’ll sleep
when she needs to. I wouldn’t worry.”
“How
do you know so much about babies?” Heather asked and sat down with exhaustion on the
sofa, tucking her legs up beneath her.
“Before
I miscarried with Biff I did a lot of reading,” she replied, bouncing the baby
gently in her arms as she turned to face Heather. Her eyes grazed over the coffee table where a
stack of books two feet high rested.
“But obviously not as much as you.”
She used her free hand to pick one of them up and read the title aloud. “Helping
Him Learn: A Handbook for Parents of Mentally Retarded Babies”. She offered a look of concern. “What’s all this about?”
“Just
trying to learn as much as I can,” Heather replied.
Miranda
looked into Violet’s brilliant green eyes before setting her back down in the
bassinette. “Heather, no amount of
reading is going to get you the answers you want any faster. All you’re going to do is drive yourself
crazy.”
“You
sound like Brett,” she replied, getting up and walking to the baby.
“Well
for once maybe he’s right,” Miranda exclaimed.
“The doctors said it might take weeks before they’re able to see any
signs of mental retardation in Violet.
She’s too young to tell. Give it
time and enjoy this part of her life. I
don’t want you to look back and regret anything. This is too important, Heather.”
“Don’t
you think I know that?” she asked, taking her hair out of the ponytail, pulling
it tight again and then retying it. “But
isn’t it better than I know what I might be facing? It’s not easy raising a mentally challenged
child, Miranda.”
“You
know what?” Miranda began. “There’s no
reason to be worried. Violet could grow
up to be a normal, happy, healthy little girl.
She’s got two parents who love her and would do anything in the world
for her. That’s what’s important right
now. Let all those other concerns stay
buried for now. Don’t focus on the bad.”
Heather
rubbed her tired eyes and began pacing the room. “God, I can’t help it,” she said. “All I do hour after hour, day after day is
analyze every tiny detail, every sound or move she makes, or even every sound
or move that she doesn’t make.” She paused and turned back to her
step-sister. “I know that the doctors
are going to take one look at her and tell me that there’s something wrong with
her. And I just don’t want to be taken
by surprise and not know how to deal with it.”
Miranda’s
heart went out to her. She stepped
forward and pulled her into an embrace.
“Heather, you’ve got to stop doing this,” she said. “You’re going to drive yourself crazy.”
In
an attempt at lightening the mood, Heather replied, ”you make crazier than I
already am?” she asked with a laugh.
“Seriously
though, have you talked about any of this to Dr. Anderson?”
Heather
shook her head. “I haven’t seen him
since before the delivery.”
“You
might want to,” Miranda suggested. “He
could help you deal with all of this.”
“I
know. I’ve actually called his office a
few times to make an appointment but he’s never there and he doesn’t have a
service. I just keep hoping he’ll get my
messages and return my call.”
“Well,
in the meantime you can call me anytime you need someone to talk to,” Miranda
said and walked back to the bassinette where she gazed down at Violet. “Or if you and Brett need to get out for an
evening, call me and I’ll be happy to babysit.
It isn’t as if I have anything else going on in my life.”
The
notion brought to her attention the fact that she had an ulterior motive for
coming over for a visit. Not only did
she want to see Violet, but she had wanted to talk to Heather – her only real
female friend – about the strange feelings she’d been having about Eddie and
their awkward one night stand. But after
seeing how distracted she was, she realized it wasn’t the time. Heather needed her now. Her own problems paled in comparison to hers.

It
was later that night when Roz received a phone call from a family physician in Phoenix. The news came fast and without warning. She stood in the kitchen, the receiver still
clutched in her white-knuckled hand. The
dial tone sounded through the earpiece, ominously signifying the end of the
phone call. When Brooke came down the
stairs she immediately sensed that something wasn’t right.
“Mother?”
she asked, walking slowly toward her.
“What’s wrong? Who was on the
phone?”
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