July 2008

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Previously on Beyond the Horizon, tensions escalated and people revealed new sides of themselves in June...

• Fiona (Connie Fletcher-Staton) hired Rachel (Sherri Saum) to investigate her new officemates, Henry (Sebastian Roché) and Leo (Jeff Branson) Von Stadt to get proof they were in the drug business.
• Edina (Ilene Kristen) was forced to spill about her secret double life to Eddie (Jeffrey Carlson), Theodore (John Ingle) and the entire Baldwin family, when her separate worlds collided.
• Eddie discovered that Shawn's (Tobias Truvillion) "other woman" wasn't just any woman, but that Jenna (Kari Wuhrer) was his half-sister!
• Terrence (Walt Willey) revealed to Rod (Forbes March) and Fiona that he had AIDS, which sent the Applewhite children reeling.
• Det. Nathan (Jason Thompson) grew increasingly suspicious of Aviva (Christina Chambers) over Eleanor's drugging, due to Aviva's erratic behavior.
• Rod blamed Christian (David Evan Smith) for Terrence's AIDS status, but Christian's test came back negative.
• Esther (Kathleen Widdoes) forced her way back into Hattie's (Kate Collins) life and vowed to get Hattie her daughter's back and help Hattie land Henry.
• Aurora/Eddie turned to Dominic (William Shew) for drugs, but Dominic refused to sell to him and compromise his sobriety, which angered Ford (David Chisum). Eddie accused Shawn of being just like Edina, living a double life and never being fully present in either life.
• Crystal's (Kerry Butler) hopes for a pregnancy with Rod to offset the news about Terrence's health were dashed when the test came back negative.
• Nathan arrested Aviva when he found the medication that Rolo (Ignacio Serricchio) had planted in her purse on Hattie's orders.
• Eleanor (Catherine Hickland) reluctantly agrees to stay at Henry's penthouse after his stabbing, but puts an end to their romantic entanglement.
• Aviva's personality shifts became more obvious to Ramon (Kamar de los Reyes).
• Julia (Melissa Archer) and Tiffany (Ambyr Childers) were frustrated at Esther's change in her story about Hattie's guilt in their father's murder.
• Thomas (Bobby Steggert) reached out to his newfound brother and discovered Eddie's sexual orientation and career as a drag queen!
• Father's Day brought James (Alec Musser) and Julia closer together, made Eddie feel like more of a Baldwin, showed Jenna's true colors, brought Dominic and Christian back to their fatherless roots, and made Fiona and Rod aware of what they were losing.
• Evan (Ian Buchanan) secured Aviva's bail, but she returned home to discover Nathan had found proof that Aviva had been stalking Rachel and Ramon! Aviva took Nathan hostage in her apartment!
• Carina (Natalia Livingston) moved in with Julia, while trying to get her life back on track.
• Eleanor organized a Charity Bachelor Auction for the AIDS Day of Compassion, after she learned of Terrence's fate. The auction created surprising pairings and revealed hidden truths.
• Aviva revealed that she was "Ava" to a captive Nathan, who wasn't sure if she was an impostor or an alternate personality.
• Tensions continued to escalate between Rod and Crystal.
• Rachel found a lead on the mysterious Lauren Sapphyre and poised Thomas and Rebecca (Lindze Letherman) for a trip.

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Opening Sequence (UPDATED to include Lynn Herring as Lauren Sapphyre!)

Watch the Opening Sequence on YouTube!

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Thomas and Rebecca fly to a remote Southwestern location and find Lauren Sapphyre (Lynn Herring) working a ranch! Thomas reveals that he knows Sapphyre Cosmetics is in trouble and believes VSI can save it.

At VSI, during her surveillance on the Von Stadts, Rachel snags Jenna on tape, confessing to tampering with Thomas's investigation on the Sapphyre Project. Leaving the tape anonymously, Henry and Leo call a meeting with Shawn Marks and order him to shut down and fire Jenna! Shawn is hesitant, but is told that if he can't separate the personal from the business and do what needs to be done, he will have to go too!

Esther advises Hattie about her choice in work attire, telling her that the blouse is entirely outdated and something ripped directly from late 70s fashion. Esther tells Hattie that even lowly secretaries dress like CEOs. Hattie bristles at her mother’s unwelcome advice and tells her to keep her opinions to herself. All of Esther’s concepts of current fashion comes from whatever television that the Shady Glen staff allowed her to watch. Esther insists that her time unfairly incarcerated hasn’t kept her out of touch with the world, and she’s determined to prove mother does indeed know best.

Ramon regains consciousness and realizes what happened. "She's lost her way, Mr. Valdez," Nathan informed him, as if Ramon didn't already know. "Aviva" entered, frustrated that Ramon is awake already. "Aviva, what is this?! You have to let us go, this is insane," Ramon implored her. "Aviva" got down in his face, "You want to know what's insane? Is trying to live a nice little white picket fence kind of life when your parents never gave a damn, when your sister always hated you, and when your supposedly devoted man sleeps with the first dirty little slut that comes along. That's insane. I'm surprised Aviva held it together as long as she did, considering. But when she was willing to brush it off, toss her hair and flash a goofy smile while the world walked all over her and conspired behind her back, I decided that enough was enough and it was time to take back control. It only gets worse, Ramon. The more Aviva stands by with her fingers in her ears going "LA LA LA...", the more the vultures start to circle. Because she's weak. She'd rather stick her head in the sand than confront those who don't appreciate her, who've betrayed her. But that's why I'm here, darling. To do what needs to be done. To claim an eye for an eye." Ramon is chilled by this woman's calm... this woman who is not the Aviva he knew. "Who are you?" Ramon asked, to which Nathan jumped in, "Ava. And she needs help." Ava laughs, "I am help! And thanks for ruining my chance to announce my own debut!" Ava is startled by the doorbell and is frustrated all over again.

Evan Royale was waiting at Aviva's door to discuss their strategy for her defense, and heard a moaning coming from Aviva's bedroom. Intrigued, Evan tried to find out who her guest was, but "Aviva" lied that she had put on some music for Evan's arrival. Aviva excused herself to her room and chloroformed her two captives Nathan and Ramon to keep them quiet, and then switched on some seductive music. When Evan nearly followed her into her bedroom, Aviva stalled and distracted him by seducing her lecherous lawyer on her living room couch!

Fiona offers to take a personal leave from Royale & Klein to take her father on a cruise around the world. Terrence refuses and tells Fiona to focus on her own life. Spending time with her is enough, they don't need to travel the world. Fiona is outraged, she wants to do something with her father and he rejects her. Terrence doesn't want her to put her life on hold. He did that too much in his life and won't cause anyone else to do it. Fiona breaks down that she just... wants to fix it. More than anything, to make it go away. Terrence tells her she can't. Fiona doesn't have enough memories with her father. Terrence says they'll never have enough memories. At least not for him. Terrence tells Fiona she's just like him, putting everyone else first, and herself last. Ultimately, it will break her. Focus on her life. Fiona will miss him so much.

In the Southwest, Lauren is furious to have been intruded upon on her private ranch, but Rebecca puts the issue into perspective. Lauren admits she's lost focus and is scrambling, that she goes to the ranch to clear her mind. Lauren is impressed by the kids seriousness, professionalism, and dedication, and all they ask is that she come to New York and meet with Henry and Leo at VSI. Lauren agrees to hear VSI's pitch and offers to fly them all back on her private jet.

Rolo and Tiffany are enrolled in a summer course to make up for their failing grades, and are surprised that Aviva Reynoso is teaching again. Tiffany feels guilty because of Hattie's role in causing Carina Reynoso's coma on New Years Eve. Rolo, meanwhile, keeps wondering about Aviva's state of mind, acting like everything is okay, when the impression Rolo got from his brother was that Aviva was tense and behaving strangely. But where Aviva was once a very manic, involved-in-the-subject-matter kind of teacher, this version of Aviva seemed abnormally laid back, almost non-chalant about the subject matter. After class, Rolo stays behind to ask how she's been. "Aviva" claims she's been fine, and gets a little too close to Rolo as she thanks him for his concern. Somewhat attracted, somewhat intimidated, Rolo asks if Aviva's heard from his brother, whom Rolo hasn't seen in days. "Haven't seen him," Aviva pouts her lip, trailing her fingers along Rolo's jaw as she grabs her things and slinks out of the room. Rolo seems quite impressed with himself and his apparent irresistability, if Aviva was just flirting with him.

Shawn confides his dilemma to Rachel, who feels responsible for leaving the anonymous tape. Rachel then suggests Shawn quit, and insists his hard work was never appreciated anyway. Rachel secretly hopes to get Shawn away from VSI in case they are implicated in the drug business. Shawn refuses to leave a company that he's worked so hard for, and it was never really a question about firing Jenna, he just hasn't figured out how to do it.

Leo visits Fiona at home, surprised she had taken a personal day to be at home with Terrence. Leo wants to make sure Fiona’s taking care of herself, too, since it will help her take better care of Terrence. Fiona vents a little about how there are good days and bad, the medication having its side effects on her father, and the bitter knowledge that the medicine can’t cure him and is only prolonging the inevitable. Dominic comes in and gets edgy to see Leo, Fiona is intrigued about what Leo will do. Fiona asks Leo if they’ve ever been introduced. “I don’t believe so,” Leo lies, introducing himself to Dominic. Dom plays along so as not to alert suspicion. Unfortunately for both of them, Fiona’s already seen them in an intense conversation together, so this is further proof that something is terribly wrong.

Hattie turns up at Hunter College to pressure Rolo into convincing Tiffany to return home to Hattie. Rolo tells her that Tiffany's better off without her. Hattie warns Rolo not to forget who paid for his chance to walk the Hunter College halls again, and since Hattie has so little to lose at this point, she wouldn't mind telling Tiffany that Rolo planted the drugs on Aviva to frame her for Eleanor's drug-induced behavior. Rolo backs off, agreeing to make efforts to reunite Tiffany with Hattie. But Rolo didn't know that Ava was lurking around the corner and heard the truth about Hattie and Rolo's frame-up! Hattie and Rolo's names just made Ava's ever-growing hit list.

Ava was stunned in the faculty lounge to find Aviva's face looking back at her in the mirror. Aviva is perplexed, "Who are you? I can see the things you're doing, but... I don't understand what's happening!" Ava assures Aviva in the mirror that everything will be fine and Aviva will have a much simpler life to return to... eventually. When she's done taking out everyone that's wronged her. When Ava looked back at the mirror, Aviva's concerned face was gone, but now Ava spotted colleague Theodore Baldwin behind her, who had just overheard Ava's conversation with "herself".

"Revenge? That's not like you, my dear," Theodore assured "Aviva". "Then you mustn't know me very well," Ava mouthed off. Theodore assured her that he knew her quite well, and the Aviva he knows has too much self-respect to become obsessed with vengeance. "The Aviva you know isn't in right now... come back during normal business hours," Ava taunted him, suddenly having no worries about exposing the dark side of her personality, perhaps not taking the elderly Theodore too seriously. Theodore could tell his colleague was troubled. Backing out of the doorway, Theodore promised to find her the help that she needs. Ava chases Theodore to the stairwell, which isn't difficult, since the old man can't run very fast, and a swift push sends Theodore tumbling down the stairs and landing in a heap at the bottom. "I strongly believe in helping myself, old man." Ava laughs to herself, leaving Theodore crumpled at the foot of the staircase.

Hattie was hard at work typing a mile-a-minute at the computer at VSI, peering down through her reading glasses at the screen. Hattie was alarmed by Esther’s arrival, with a picnic basket, no less! Hattie demanded Esther leave before anyone catch sight of her, and Esther giggled at Hattie’s order, proceeding past her, intent on meeting Hattie’s boss. Hattie couldn’t stop Esther before the woman burst into Henry’s office, forcing Henry to cut his conference call short. Esther cheerily offered fresh baked muffins to her daughter’s boss, and Henry was highly frustrated at the interruption. Hattie apologized profusely, ushering Esther out of the office, and swearing if she ever embarrasses her again, Esther will be made to long for comforts like electro-shock therapy when Hattie’s through with her. Hattie’s plans are further compromised when Eleanor has arrived to see Henry and finds Hattie with Esther, a fellow patient from Shady Glen Sanitarium!

Jenna was busy seducing Shawn (while he was trying to find the right way to fire her) at VSI when word started to spread of Theodore's tumble down the stairs late at night at Hunter College. Learning of the violence that befell her father, Jenna races to the hospital while Thomas is still out of town. Jenna tries to force a disoriented Theodore to sign a new will turning everything over to her, but Eddie (who got a phone call from Shawn alerting him to his father's fall) interrupts her in the nick of time. Jenna is furious.

Eleanor was certain that Hattie’s been out to get her since they first met, and the fact Esther is her mother is further proof of how far Hattie would go to ruin her. “Oh come now, Eleanor, aren’t we mining new depths of paranoia this afternoon?” Hattie smirked. Eleanor insisted that she would prove to Henry, and anyone else who would listen, that Hattie was a crazed, destructive criminal and not worthy to shine a shoe in this city. Esther excused herself, congratulating Eleanor (and herself) on their looking so refreshed since their releases from Shady Glen. Hattie isn’t intimidated by Eleanor, “You know Ms. Halperin... I’ve seen a hundred versions of you in my lifetime. Cheerleaders. Sorority sisters. Small business owners. Socialites. Housewives. Soccer moms. So... together. So perfectly groomed by life, for life. But the minute one part of their perfect little life is shaken, ever so slightly, all the nuts start to fall out of their tree. And it proves you are no better than the people you look down upon to make yourself feel better. You are no more sane, classy, or worthy than you would assume I am. You’ve just been lucky. Funny thing is, all that’s changed is your luck, and you’re so bitter about it that you want to blame it all on me. The more you refuse to take responsibility for the state of your life, honey, the more you prove how right I am about you. Now get the hell out of here, Mr. Von Stadt has a full schedule today.” Hattie dismisses her, not realizing Henry has come out of his office to hear the tail-end of Hattie’s dismissal. Henry informs his secretary he will be taking a long lunch with Ms. Halperin and to push his after-lunch meeting to tomorrow. Eleanor takes pleasure in how quickly and effortlessly Hattie was put in her place by her boss.

Fiona told Rod of her plans to travel with Terrence and Rod is furious with Fiona for constantly reminding their father of his impending death. Fiona accuses Rod of not caring at all, and distancing himself. Rod claims he has been busy. Fiona calls him cold and unfeeling, and Rod explodes that she should excuse him if he's not prepared to sit and watch their father die! Fiona says he's wasting what little time he has left with Terrence by wallowing in denial.

Thomas and Rebecca return with Lauren to VSI and Henry is impressed with their results when he learns from Hattie that Lauren made an appointment for a meeting! Henry tells Thomas of Jenna's deception and commends him on getting the job done, even with Jenna secretly working against him. He also tells Thomas about Theodore in the hospital.

Edina sat vigil at Theodore's bedside while Theodore floated in and out of consciousness at the hospital, unable to reveal what had happened to cause his fall. Back at Hunter College, the students collectively missed Professor Baldwin. "Aviva" expressed her concerns about her colleague Theodore to her class, and directed them on where to send their flowers and best wishes. After class, "Aviva" played vulnerable after the suspected attack on Theodore, and Rolo was there to comfort her, certain that the police would uncover whoever attacked him, if it was an attack. Aviva worries that things won't ever be right again, with Ramon missing. "Aviva" confesses she can't get in touch with Ramon and wonders if the person sending her letters has targeted him now. Rolo consoles her, promising to help find his brother. "Aviva" says Rolo reminds her a lot of his big brother. In a staged vulnerable moment, Ava kisses Rolo, and pulls back, apologizing. Rolo is immediately intoxicated by the forbidden moment, and as his hormones take control, "Aviva" allows another kiss, and soon she is claiming Rolo on her desk! At Tiffany's locker, she finds a note slipped in from Professor Reynoso, asking Tiffany to meet her back at the classroom to discuss her latest test scores, and when Tiffany returns to the room, Rolo and "Aviva" are in the middle of their tryst, naked, biting, scratching, passionate. Tiffany is horrified at Rolo's cheating and runs off.

Lauren arrives for her meeting with Henry Von Stadt at VSI. It's clear that they have a history, when Henry mentions that he always respected her, and felt she was the real brains and business sense during her marriage to Andros Gembressi. Henry figured Lauren's marriage to Andros was just a means to an end to realizing the many dreams she had. Even his death didn't stop Lauren from becoming an amazing cosmetics mogul in America and Europe. Lauren doesn't seem to be affected by mentions of Andros, and cuts through the casual banter, "I'm intrigued by your approach this time, Henry," Lauren smirks, "Sending two kids barely out of Junior High to invade my private ranch in Colorado, my retreat, to lure me to New York to hear another trite pitch from your company? Has it come to that?" Henry counters that for Lauren it has come to that, and Henry obviously didn't have much to lose as Lauren hasn't given VSI the time of day since Andros died. "I was a foolish young girl to hitch my wagon to some man's star and I never make the same mistake twice," Lauren promised, her feet planted firmly. Henry offers Lauren full control, and only wants to hitch his wagon to her star. Lauren wonders what Henry even wants to get in bed with her company for, since even Thomas Baldwin and Rebecca Halperin can tell Sapphyre Cosmetics is in trouble. Henry has always been able to recognize a visionary when he sees one, and he believes in her. Lauren will have her lawyers contact Henry with her decision. Henry's heard that line several times before, and it was a signal to him to expect another refusal. Days later, Evan Royale arrived (acting as Lauren's lawyer at the moment, not Henry's) with a contract that Lauren would find acceptable. Henry was incredulous at Lauren's proposal, since it was leaving Henry close to LOSING money on the deal than turning any profit. But admiring Lauren's nerve, Henry signed the contract, and finally, after years of dancing back and forth, Henry and Lauren were "affiliated".

While Rolo plans to bask in the afterglow on Aviva's desk at Hunter, "Aviva" has other places to be and asks for Rolo's discretion about their... indiscretion. Ava returns back to the apartment where she's holding Ramon and Nathan captive.

Jenna returns to VSI to complain about Eddie to Shawn, and Shawn fires her! The shock exposes a slight crack in her exterior, Jenna seems hurt, but covers quickly, establishing that she still wants to continue seeing Shawn. Jenna brushes it off, not wanting a petty job affect their relationship. Shawn isn't sure how he feels about Jenna's reaction, only sure that he wasn't expecting that reaction to be it.

Eddie tells Thomas what he caught Jenna trying to do to their father, and the battle lines are drawn. James is appalled at Jenna's actions, but she breaks down to James that she needs her brother's continued support, he's all she has after Shawn's betrayal. Having never seen that side of Jenna before, James sticks by her.

Theodore returned home with Thomas doting on his every need, and Theodore's memory is still spotty when it comes to how he fell down the stairs at Hunter College. Jenna is further infuriated when Thomas doesn't expose her for what she did while Theodore was hospitalized! James advises Jenna to be grateful that Theodore doesn't know how she tried to trick him into signing a new will, but Jenna's sure Thomas is just saving the ammunition for a rainy day. Jenna firmly resolves to get dirt on Thomas. Searching the pockets in some clothes Thomas recently wore, Jenna finds a cocktail napkin from Large Bar, and thinks Thomas is secretly gay!

Lauren Sapphyre began setting roots down in New York as she conceptualized her next fragrance, Artemis. Lauren approves of the expansive office space Henry allocated for her in the VSI building, with a lovely view of Broadway. Evan Royale appears to be acting as her right hand man, and it seems they go back a long way, but the nature of their connection isn't as obvious.

Thomas and Rebecca go back to Large Bar for another Aurora Borealis show, and this time Jenna follows them. She takes some camera phone pictures of Thomas standing near a male stranger which could appear as though they were at the bar together.

Rod notices Christian drinking more at Large Bar than he ever did before, and by himself. Believing this was proof Christian didn't care about taking care of his father, Rod encouraged Christian to drink more. Dominic offered Christian more effective ways to numb the feelings, offering hard core drugs. Christian accepted the drugs and has a bad reaction mixing them with the alcohol. Rod nearly leaves him at Large Bar, but ends up bringing him home and promises not to tell Terrence about his experimentation with the designer drugs. Rod wonders why Christian is such a mess. Christian, drunk and high, apologized, feeling responsible for the destruction of the Applewhite family. Christian gets emotional, blaming himself for being poison. Who knows what happened to his birth parents, the Fields are dead, and now Terrence is being taken from him. Rod finally realized that Terrence meant the world to Christian and Christian feared what will happen when Terrence is no longer in his world. Rod surprises himself by trying to keep Christian calm and trying to reassure Christian that he won't go floating lost in the world after... (Rod can't bear to say "after Terrence dies"). Rod cares about Christian after all.

Jenna shared her camera phone pictures with James, who thought it made sense if Thomas was gay, since he's so thoughtful, sensitive, neat, and well-dressed. But James thought it might backfire on her if she were to "out" Thomas to Theodore. Jenna was sure she'd figure out some way to come out of it smelling like a rose.

Fiona finds Christian the next day, recovering from his hangover. Christian confesses he's not handling well. Christian opens up about his fears over Terrence and Fiona admits to many of the same fears. Christian and Fiona make a pact to confide in each other in case they freak out again.

Jenna called a family dinner, and invited Shawn, Rebecca, Edina, and Eddie. Shawn's sister Rachel was sitting at the nearby bar. Thomas knew there was a self-serving motive behind it, but thought Jenna was trying to redeem herself from the "new will" fiasco. Jenna played it as though she wanted to properly welcome Eddie into the family, but when they gathered, it seemed like Jenna had a trick up her sleeve. When Jenna finally tried to expose Thomas as gay, urging him to come clean about where he's been going at night, waving the cocktail napkin around and assuring him the family would be "accepting and understanding", Eddie came forward and outed himself, revealing that Thomas was at Large Bar to support him! Eddie came out to the Baldwins as gay AND as a drag queen! Shawn continued to feel the heat of his double life and Theodore welcomed his gay son Eddie with open arms, then commending Thomas on supporting his new brother! Jenna was foiled again. Jenna tried explaining how relieved she was that everyone was now open about who they really were. "Most of us anyway," Thomas added, looking squarely at Jenna. Something about "knowing who you really are" triggered a memory for Theodore about Aviva being the one to push him down the stairs at Hunter College! Thomas and Rebecca couldn't believe one of their professors would attack Theodore that way! Rachel couldn't help but overhear from the bar, and immediately leapt up to be sure of who Theodore was talking about. Rachel called Ramon, and his phone went straight to voicemail. Nervous about exactly how far over the edge Aviva might have gone, Rachel decided to go straight to Aviva's door to confront her secret rival over her secret actions.

Lauren Sapphyre continued to settle in at her office at VSI, and called Thomas Baldwin in to see her. Lauren was impressed with Thomas's innocence and earnestness, and wanted Thomas to intern with her, but while Thomas was flattered, he was also happy with what he started to develop at VSI, and planned to continue there. However, he nominated Rebecca in his place, and after Lauren extended an offer to her, Rebecca accepted! Rebecca staggered her internship days at Sapphyre Cosmetics with her summer courses at Hunter College.

Rebecca's new internship with Lauren Sapphyre piqued Eleanor's interest in Lauren and Eleanor was even more curious about Henry and Lauren's past. Despite Eleanor's claim that she no longer wanted to pursue a romance with Henry, Eleanor couldn't shake the curiosity about whether Lauren had designs on him. Realizing Evan knows Lauren well also, Eleanor probes for information. Evan claims to only know Lauren as well as anyone is allowed to, and elaborates on the "myth of Lauren Sapphyre". Evan says Lauren's long been rumored to be a lesbian, and that's not only because she's often rejected his advances. Lauren based her professional identity on the Greek poet Sappho, a voice of feminism, and, arguably, lesbians. Evan explains that Lauren's always been a distant mystery, private and elusive when it came to the press. Lauren was only involved in one relationship in the public eye, with Andros Gembressi, but their strong wills led to many clashes and power struggles. Some unknown blowup was the final straw for Lauren and she filed for divorce, moving her base across country. Andros died, and Lauren was the sole beneficiary, despite the divorce. Eleanor immediately wondered if Lauren was involved in his death. Evan doubts it, as it's not in Lauren's nature to feel deeply enough for anyone to be moved to murder.

Jenna was at wit's end about what her next move should be. Shawn gives her a talking-to and tells her she's been so focused on Thomas that she hasn't been able to fully commit to her own goals. Shawn advises her to draw up a proposal and try to launch a startup company of her own with some of Theodore's money. Jenna thinks it's a brilliant idea. She just needs James on board with her. James tells Jenna he's content with his garage. Jenna thinks James always settles for the bare minimum and dazzles him with the notion of a chain of garages and staff so that James wouldn't have to get his hands dirty. James is on board.

Henry invites Lauren over for dinner, and Eleanor takes the opportunity to try to get a firmer grasp on the new woman in town. Lauren and Eleanor seem to size each other up. Eleanor seems impressed with Lauren, a straight shooter with ample charm and charisma, and a sharp sense of humor. Eleanor is awed that Lauren seems supremely confident, unshaken by life's twists and turns. Lauren learned long ago not to be surprised by life. Despite hardships there is beauty in everything, and to quote Sappho, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." Eleanor didn't know that was a Sappho quote. Lauren continues, "Every tragedy, every challenge... everything is a learning and growing experience." Eleanor has spent so much time feeling beaten down by life, she hasn't been able to feel empowered. "Sometimes one needs more distance before perspective is gained," Lauren believes, "You might have learned more from your experiences than you realize right now. But the most obvious victory is... you're still here." Eleanor definitely appreciates Lauren's food for thought over their dinner.

Rachel pounded on Aviva's door and "Aviva" was unable to mask her disgust at Rachel's arrival. Rachel confronted Aviva with what Theodore Baldwin claimed and wanted an admittance of guilt. Instead, "Aviva" defended herself, wondering if proving Aviva did something bad would make Rachel feel less guilty about seducing Ramon and pretending to be Aviva's friend while carrying on with Aviva's lover behind her back. Rachel was thrown by Aviva's referring to herself in the third person, and didn't realize Aviva knew about Rachel and Ramon's betrayal. "Aviva" claimed Rachel deserved a lot worse than a doll hanging from the ceiling of her apartment. Rachel was horrified to realize Aviva was behind the threatening messages and wondered how twisted Aviva was. "As twisted as I needed to be to keep up with you," Ava lashed out. Rachel swore she was going to the police to report Aviva, and Ava just threw her head back and laughed. "What are the police going to do to me, when New York's finest can't even conduct a proper search?" Ava boasted. Rachel didn't understand what she meant, until Ava opened her bedroom door to reveal and unconscious Nathan and Ramon. Before Rachel could register a reaction, Ava whacked Rachel over the head with a fireplace poker and dragged her lifeless body into the room with the others. "And, growing up, I never even wanted a puppy," Ava groaned.

Crystal turns up at Large Bar while Rod is setting up for Happy Hour. Rod is busy at work. Crystal proposes that they take a vacation from New York, to get away from the stresses in their life and get back to basics, back to who they are, the couple they’ve been in the past. Rod has a lot of responsibilities at Large Bar and feels he’s still too new in his role managing the place to take a week off for a vacation. Crystal promises that she has an “in” with the boss and might be able to swing the time off for him. Rod gets flustered and snaps at her that he can’t go anywhere right now. Crystal tries to appeal to him, talking about how they really haven’t made time for each other since Valentine’s Day. “Well Crystal, I’ve had a lot going on since then...” Rod argues, “I was shot in March, so that kinda kept me busy, then my father learned he was dying of AIDS, and it’s kinda been downhill since then. Sorry if we haven’t made time to sit by a fire and cuddle, but my father is DYING! And I guess since you lost yours a while ago, you’ve forgotten how terrifying that is. Crystal slaps Rod, letting him know he crossed a line. “It feels like yesterday that we got the call my father was dead. Thank you VERY much. Maybe I haven’t considered your feelings about your father enough, but it’s been an uphill battle getting you to open up to me about ANYTHING, or even just for you to look at me! I’m trying to be here for you in any way I can, but all you can do is take cheap shots at me about my dead father?! Go to hell, Rod.” Crystal leaves in tears. Rod realizes he was wrong for what he said.

Christian puts on a brave face for Terrence and continues to care for him. Terrence is on doctors' orders to stay home as much as possible. Christian wants to start planning the wedding to keep Terrence's spirits up. Terrence offers to release Christian from the engagement. Christian won't hear of it. Terrence knows Christian didn't want this from a relationship. Christian wanted to love Terrence forever, and whatever comes with that. Terrence breaks down that he doesn't want things to go on this way. Christian tells him they need to choose happiness, then! They decide to plan the wedding.

Jenna and James get their ducks in a row and make a professional presentation to Theodore. Theodore only agrees to give half of what Jenna needs. "Half to me, and half to James?" Jenna hopes. Theodore laughs at the question. He has sunk more than enough money into Jenna's dreams and schemes, and will only invest half of what she needs. Jenna realizes she needs to find another investor.

Meanwhile, Thomas and Eddie continue to bond, and Thomas wants to know about Eddie's love life. Eddie isn't ready to open up about that. Thomas then asks what they should do about their mother. Thomas wants to forgive her. Eddie thinks it's got to be easier for Thomas since he had both parents through his formative years. Eddie wasn't so lucky. Eddie doesn't think he can forgive Edina for her lies. Edina arrived and proposed that Eddie make an effort to get to know his mother again if she and Theodore get to know Aurora Borealis.

At the hospital, Julia is surprised when Nathan’s partner from the force stops by to ask if Julia’s seen Nathan in the last few weeks. Julia hasn’t and assumed he was working an assignment. Nathan hasn’t checked in for weeks, and the NYPD is starting to get worried. Julia remembers asking him to look into her mother Hattie for her, and that it was the last she saw of him. Julia fears that Hattie did something to Nathan.

James visits Julia, who shares her fears about Nathan. James is concerned, especially since strange things have been happening. Julia asks James about whether his father remembered anything more about his fall, and James shares that it’s actually why he came because Theodore remembered that it was Aviva Reynoso who pushed him down the stairs. Julia’s flabbergasted, thinking that sounds so out of character for Aviva. James agrees. Julia calls Carina to run this claim by her. Carina is skeptical that Aviva would have reason or the guts to do such a thing. Julia and James think they need to go to the police about Aviva.

Not about to get too concerned with her sister, Carina flips the TV back on and sees a news piece about the resurgence of Sapphyre Cosmetics and its new base in New York in the VSI building. Carina is transfixed as a clip shows Lauren Sapphyre talking about her business and how it has empowered her and always was her driving force and guiding star. Carina finally found what she’d needed for months – inspiration. Inspired by Lauren, Carina decided she needed to meet Lauren and become involved with Sapphyre in some way.

Christian goes to Dominic at Large Bar, and Dominic wanted to know if Christian had ended things with Terrence. Christian is shocked at Dominic’s question. “Well, I figured the way you have been handling all this was a sign that you weren’t ready to deal with someone in Terrence’s situation,” Dom tried to explain. “I’m committed to Terrence,” Christian reaffirmed, “Of course, it’s hard, nothing about Terrence having an expiration date on his life is easy. But I love him. We’ve decided to get married.” Dominic is speechless. Christian hopes that Dom can be happy for him and will be supportive and attend the wedding. After Christian leaves, Ford Collins, who was eavesdropping nearby, couldn’t help but notice how disappointed Dom was with Christian’s choice to stay with Terrence. “Imagine how much more of a rift there would be if Christian and the Applewhites found out about our little target practice here a few months ago?” Ford teased Dominic, saying just enough to keep Dominic in line.

A weak Ramon and Nathan come to, only to see Rachel lying on the floor before them, with a badly bleeding head wound. Ramon gets scared that Rachel is in danger and he needs to give her medical attention. Ava/Aviva is nowhere to be found. Ramon can’t believe that she would leave an injured woman on the floor to die.

Eleanor was distracted, with recent interactions with Hattie Wilson and Lauren Sapphyre circling in her head. Eleanor realized she was frozen in place, afraid to move in any direction with her life, and had been struggling to get her life back to the way it was before her husband’s death, and the truth was... life would never be that way again. Eleanor needed to move forward, but to do so, she needed to tie up some loose ends – specifically Hattie Wilson. Eleanor decided to pay a visit to her former fellow patient, Esther, to try to get to the bottom of what makes Hattie tick.

Ava has gone to the waterfront to get away. Ava flashes back to her argument with Rachel and the bludgeoning Ava gave her, and her realization that Rachel’s head wound was bad. Panicking, and knowing that it was a matter of time before the Baldwins, or more police, were beating down her door, Ava knew she needed to disappear. “You lost, beautiful?” a man’s voice startled her. It was Ford Collins, wondering what a beautiful woman like Ava was doing wringing her hands at the waterfront.

Coming in August on Beyond the Horizon:

• Rolo’s betrayal of Tiffany sends her back into the waiting arms of her mother and grandmother.
• “Ava” is forced to go on the run when her nefarious deeds finally catch up to her, bringing her into contact with reclusive Ford Collins.
• Eleanor buddies up to Esther, who may be craftier than Eleanor realizes.
• The Applewhites gear up for a wedding in Canada.
• Crystal decides to pursue a long-dormant dream.
• Terrence and Christian’s wedding is the occasion for a few secrets to be revealed and lives changed.
• Carina is drawn to Lauren Sapphyre’s lifestyle.
• Jenna hopes to land Lauren Sapphyre as an investor in her new venture.
• Ramon is determined to find Aviva and help her as a way of redeeming himself.
• Eddie is reunited with someone from his past.