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Springfield, Late Evening

At the Company Boarding House, Eleni awakes from a peaceful few hours of sleep, she walks into the bathroom and notices the damp rug hanging on the shower curtain to dry. As she makes her why back into the bedroom she opens the curtains and looks over Springfield.

“I’ve missed this place,” she whispers to herself and then decides to head back to bed. The moonlight shines through the room and as she makes her way back to bed Frank tosses himself awake.

“What are you doing?”

“Looking out the window,” she smiles at him. “Watching you sleep,” Eleni slips herself back under the covers and back into Frank’s arms. “Last night was wonderful. Thank you.”

Frank held her tight in his arms. “Would you like to tell me just what it is your thanking me for.”

“I don’t even know where I should begin Frankie,” Eleni interlaced her fingers with his. “After all these years apart I just can’t believe we’ve managed to find our way back to one another.”

“It feels pretty good though doesn’t it?”

“Of course it does,” her words drifted off as she pulled away from him. “I just don’t think we should have let it go this far. We’re adults, we have a daughter and careers…I should have…we should have known better.”

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Lizzie Spaulding entered into Braxton’s suite at the Beacon and called out for him. “Braxton? Honey are you here?”

She looked around the room and heard no answer. “Braxton?”

Lizzie sat down on the sofa and flipped through a copy of the Journal and then decided to wait for her beau in the bedroom. She passed through the kitchenette where everything was still in order from earlier in the week.

In the bedroom, Lizzie tossed her coat on the bed and an idea popped into her. She quickly took her clothes off, tossing them to the floor beside the bed and pulled open the closet doors, searching for one of Braxton’s shirts. Only she found the closet empty…she checked the chest of drawers same as the closet.

“What the hell is going on here?” Lizzie asked herself as she put her clothes back on. She was on her way back to the living room when an envelope with her name caught her eye.

She took the envelope and sat down on the sofa to read it.

“Lizzie,” she began reading. “I don’t know when you’ll find this but I hope it finds you well in school and life. I have spent the last few months getting to know you for a very different reason that you have spent getting to know me. I’m not the person that you think that I am. I came to Oakdale and then later Springfield with one goal in mind, getting to know you for reasons that I do not want to reveal now. My mother and I came to Springfield with one clear cut agenda, one that I no longer want to fulfill. I pray that you never know the reasons I came to town, I pray that you never know the real connection that we share and I am not talking about the one we’ve developed in the bedroom and beyond. May life treat you well. Braxton.”

She let the letter fall from her hand and looked at in confusion. “You son-of-a-bitch.” She cursed, “An agenda…you can take your clear cut agenda and rot in hell.”

Lizzie shoved the letter into her purse, through Braxton’s room key down on the table and walked out of his suite for the last time.

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“You got everything you need?” Cassie asked Tammy at the foot of the escalator at Springfield International Airport. “You got your coat, it’s cold up there.”

“It’s cold here mom,” Tammy smiled. “I’m going to be okay and more importantly you’re going to be okay.”

Cassie sighed heavily, “I have dreaded this day since that acceptance letter came.” She played with Tammy’s hair for a moment and could feel the tears swelling up in her eyes.

“Mom…”

“No, no…” Cassie stopped her. “You have to let me have this moment. You’re my little girl, the only one that I have and you’re leaving to go off and be an adult. I get to be sad. I get to stand here and play with your hair. I get to cry Tammy, because that’s what mothers do.”

Tammy embraced Cassie in a hug. “Daughters cry too you know,” she whispered into her ear. “I know this is hard for you and all I can think to say is thank you for letting me go. For having this opportunity to go out into the world and make it a better place.”

Cassie broke away from their hug, “And a better place is what you’re going to make it. I know you will because of who you are, the values you have and so much more.”

The two hugged one another for a second time and when Tammy finally broke away she looked at her watch. “I have to go.”

Cassie shook her head, “I know. Okay, well then you be safe. And you call me the minute you get off that plane in Washington.”

“I promise,” Tammy replied. “You know there is one thing that you can do for me if you would.”

“Anything,” Cassie answered.

“On my dresser at the farm is some letters for Lizzie, Marina and Shayne, will you make sure they get them.”

“I will, I promise.”

“Thanks,” Tammy told her before one last embrace. “I love you so much Mom.”

With tears racing down her cheeks Cassie replied, “And I love you, so much more than you will ever realize.”

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“Do you think this was a mistake Eleni?”

“No,” she said shaking her head. “This…us, it is no mistake. What we done here tonight, making love that was a mistake. Because, it’s like wanting something you know you’re not supposed to have yet you have it anyway.” Eleni closed her eyes and deep down prayed this was a dream. “I love you Frankie…”

“Who says that we can’t have this? We’re adults who loved one another…” he stopped for a moment, “don’t you think we owe to ourselves to try this and see where it goes?”

Eleni thought for a moment, “And what if it doesn’t work Frankie, then what happens?”

“We know that we tried,” he answered. “Marina’s grown now, our actions will still have an impact on her but not as strong as one as before.” He kissed her hand, “What do you say? Can we do this?”

“I can’t move back to Springfield, not right away. I’ve made a life for myself in Los Angeles and I won’t expect you to move out there because you have your life here.”

“Okay, so we’ll compromise. I want this to work Eleni, because you’re what my life has been missing. You are the other half of the puzzle for me and I’ve waited years for this to happen.”

She lightly touched his face, “You think we can do this?” Eleni’s voice cracked, “I don’t want to lose you again and if we do this, again, we do it right. Make me a promise Frankie, we’ll do this right.”

He kissed her hand and took her into his arms. “I promise you Eleni, we’re going to do this and we’re going to do this right.”

Eleni settled into his arms, she was warm, safe and loved for the first time in a very long time.

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“Bourdon,” Josh Lewis sat down on a barstool at Outskirts determined to drown out the conversation he had just had with his son by whatever means necessary.

Twenty minutes had past, Josh had consumed three drinks total and still the thought of Shayne betraying his own family raced through Josh’s mind.

Across town Billy and Reva arrived at the Lewis home, where the Cedar’s file greeted them. “I thought you and Josh put this to bed weeks ago?” Reva picked it up. “Did something change?”

Billy shook his head, “Well not to my knowledge. You know there’s no telling why Josh had that file out darlin’,” he lied.

“Drinking alone cowboy?” A female voice questioned from behind Josh. “Care for some company?”

He spun around on the barstool, “Actually I’d just like…” he stopped, “Cassie? What are you doing here?”

“Tammy just left for Washington D.C. a class she wanted to take during the intersession opened up.” Cassie laid her purse down on the bar and grabbed a few peanuts. “I was driving back to the farm and saw your car parked outside and thought why the hell not. I could use a drink.”

Josh flagged down the bartender, “Whatever the lady wants, put it on my tab.”

The bartender nodded in agreement and poured Cassie a vodka and cranberry. “Cheers.” She toasted.

“And just what are you toasting to?”

She shrugged her shoulders, “You know it honestly beats the hell out of me. I have no real reason to be happy…” she took one shot of the drink and finished it off. “Another.”

“That a girl,” Josh smiled at her and polished his drink. “So Tammy left huh?”

Cassie shook her head yes. “You know this has been the worst day I have had in a very long time since Richard died.” She took a sip of her second drink. “One of my best friends got married to the man she loves, her soul mate today and I should have been so unbelievably happy for her, but I wasn’t. I was angry, jealous and bitter. I used to have what she has and then…then Tammy gets the call to come right now if she wants this class. I just don’t understand why she would want to leave.”

“Do you really think that we’re supposed to understand why our children do anything that they do?” Josh questioned.

“I guess we’re not. I know that she’s excited about this opportunity and I’m happy for her but she left so fast Josh. It felt like I was giving her away all over again. I just wish she would understand that…”

“Please if our kids could only understand where we are coming from our lives Cassie would be a hell of a lot better.”

“True enough,” Cassie noted. “So why don’t you tell me what’s going on with you. Why are you here drinking like there is no tomorrow?”

Josh shrugged his shoulders, “It doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter,” Cassie touched his shoulder. “Come on talk to me, I just opened up to you about Tammy, let me help if I can.”

Josh finished off his fifth glass of bourdon and took Cassie’s hand, “I have a better idea. Why don’t you forget about Tammy leaving for at least awhile and I’ll forget about what is bothering me and we’ll…” he stumbled off his barstool, “we’ll have us some fun.”

Cassie smiled and thought that was the best offer she had heard in a very long time.

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Ed kicked his shoes off, unbuttoned the top button on his shirt and his eye caught a letter with his name written on the front. It had been sitting in the same spot since Roger’s will had been read, unopened.

He sat on the foot of his bed, staring at intensely. As he muttered something under his breath, he walked over and picked it. He closed his eyes and shook his head, he wanted to call Holly but thought better of it, and he didn’t need her for this.

Ed opened the envelope and as he did he could practically hear Roger’s laugh in the background, this was his final revenge

Ed knew that, which is why he had waited so long to open the damn thing.

“Ed,” he began reading aloud. “Well congratulations old man you’ve outlived me. How does it feel? I write this to you on my deathbed, Amanda’s in the living room talking with doctors, home nurses and most likely an attorney. I’ve done some horrible things in my life, I know that, but I won’t apologize to you, to others perhaps but never to you. You, Dr. Bauer, kept my Christina away from me…”

He continued reading the letter and when he was done, he folded it up, put it back in the envelope from which it came and cursed under his breath, “Son-of-a-bitch.”

Ed knew that he shouldn’t buy into what Roger had said, but he couldn’t help himself and within the hour, he was packed and headed out of town. He made a stop at the cemetery to bid Maureen goodbye and then to the airport.

“Good evening sir,” the attendant greeted. “How can I assist you this evening?”

“I need a one-way ticket to San Diego, please,” Ed handed her his credit card. Yes, Roger had gotten to him and he was sure he was headed on a wild goose chase.

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Lucy Cooper-Spaulding parked her car in the nearly empty garage at The Beacon. As she began to make her way across the garage she reached to call Alan-Michael.

Halfway to the doors she saw something lying in on cement and she walked over to see exactly what it was. She finally made out not what it was, rather who and let out a gut-wrenching scream before dialing 911.

“This is Lucy Spaulding, I need an ambulance at The Beacon hotel lower level parking garage,” she cried out. “Oh my God, please hurry.”

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Reva handed Billy a cup of coffee and was about to cut him a slice of pecan pie. “You know this is just Momma used to make,” she smiled.

“Thank you darling.” Billy took a big bite of the pie and smiled, “It is exactly like Ms. Sarah used to make,” he confirmed.

Reva forced a smile. “He’ll call right?”

Billy shook his head just as the phone began ringing, “There you go…”

“Hello…” she answered.

“Reva, this is Lillian Raines…”

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Next on "The Guiding Light"

- Alexandra bonds with a former Spaulding woman.

- Reva rushes to Shayne's side.

- Shayne's attacker is revealed!

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