AT MYTHIC COMMUNICATIONS:

“Dammit, Lucas! You’re drunk right now, aren’t you?” Kate screamed.

“I’m not drunk. If you must know, yes, I just had a beer with my lunch,” Lucas admitted. “But it’s nothing.”

“No, it’s something. It’s you giving up on life. I mean, how can you do this to Will?” Kate asked.

“In case you forgot, Mom, Will is still living with his Uncle Austin and Aunt Carrie in Europe. It’s not like I’m going to drink around him when he gets back when school starts again,” Lucas said defensively.

“Well then that makes it OK. You’re just going to hide your drinking from him and that will keep him from seeing how screwed up his father is,” Kate said.

“If I’m screwed up it’s because of you, Mom,” Lucas said furiously. “If it wasn’t for you Sami would still be here. She wouldn’t have left. We would be a family and I would be happy with her.”

“How is it my fault that little slut couldn’t stay faithful to you and ran off with E.J.?” Kate scoffed.

“Don’t call the mother of my son a slut, all right?” Lucas said. “I am perfectly aware of what she did without you reminding me every fifteen minutes with your putdowns.”

“What am I supposed to call this bitch who ran away with another man on your honeymoon and broke your heart?” Kate said. “I’m sorry, Lucas, but I am not holding my tongue when it comes to that monster. Especially not now when I see how much pain she is still…”

But Kate was interrupted by a knock on the door and a secretary entered.

“We’re busy,” Kate said glaring.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Roberts, but there’s a phone call for Mr. Roberts,” the secretary said bowing her head in fear of her demanding boss. “The caller says it’s urgent.”

“Thank you, Emily,” Lucas said smiling. “I will take that call right now. We aren’t discussing anything important. You can let yourself out, can’t you, Mom?”

Kate huffed as she stormed out of the office while Lucas took a seat at his desk and pressed the blinking red light to see who was on the other end of the line.

“Yes, this is Lucas Roberts… Wait… Celeste?” Lucas said surprised. “Why the hell are you calling me? Hold up… Celeste, you’re talking too fast… I don’t think… What?!... OK… Fine, you can meet me in the alley outside Mythic in ten minutes.”

AT MAISON BLANCHE:

Nervously, Sami wandered down the secret corridor in search of Lexie.

Sami thought back to how close she and E.J. had been to escaping months ago as they walked down that same hallway, how despite all the horrible things E.J. had done to her and her family he proved his loyalty to her then and there trying to help her escape and it cost him his memory.

She shuddered as she passed his room where she first learned of his amnesia and remembered the torturous, miserable sounds that taking away those memories had made. But she knew this was her last hope. Her baby’s last hope, she thought, as she rubbed her swelled stomach and tried to steel herself to whatever she might find around the corner.

Soon she came upon what she realized was the makeshift medical room. Carefully she tread so as not to wake up Stefano as he slept, on one side of a mesh curtain, in the hospital bed surrounded by Lexie’s impressive collection of state-of-the-art medical equipment she had used to restore Stefano to much improved health and monitor Sami’s pregnancy.

On the other side of the curtain she saw a cold, stainless steel table, an array of strange science instruments and experiments along with what appeared to her to be crude medieval torture devices. Surely this was Dr. Rolf’s domain, she thought. This was where they hurt E.J. She wondered if this would be the side of the curtain she would be on if she gave birth at Maison Blanche and tapped her hand on the table with quiet fear, until a voice behind her caused her to let out a yelp.

“Shhhhhhhh. Sami, what are you screaming for? And what the hell are you doing here?” Lexie whispered.