People are ready for change in Springfield...

Cedars:

Michelle is rushing into work.

She is already running late.

Ed approaches her, "You're late again?"

She sighs, "I'm sorry. I know it looks bad."

He nods, "You left on time didn't you?"

She nods, "But Hope left her book at home, so we had to go back and get it, then I got caught in traffic and spilled the coffee all over myself."

He nods, "Yikes, sounds like you had a bad day."

She sighs, "Tell me about it."

Ed looks at her, "Are you really okay sweetheart?"

Michelle looks at him, "Yeah, why do you ask?"

He sighs, "I know how this time of year is for you."

She scoffs, "Wow you too?"

He shakes his head, "I'm not trying to upset you. But with the anniversary of Danny's death, and with everything you have going on right now-"

She sighs, "Stop okay! I'm not crazy."

He sighs, "I never said that you were. I know you aren't. But this is a difficult time of year for you."

She shakes her head, "Danny died 3 years ago."

He nods, "And your mother died decades ago. That doesn't make it hurt any less."

She nods, "Danny's death will always hurt. He was the love of my life. He was the father of both of my children. And he died very similar to how Mom died. But I'm okay. I've been engaged since then."

He sighs, "I'm your Dad. I'm just checking in."

She sighs, "I know. But trust me, I'm fine."

He nods, "Okay."

Michelle hugs her Dad.

Michelle and Ed each get back to their work.

Springfield High School:

James pulls up into the parking lot.

He parks his car.

Leah is sitting next to him.

He leans over and kisses her.

She smiles, "You're so perfect."

He laughs, "You keep saying that."

She nods, "I know. I just can't get over it. I'm not used to having a guy who is so polite, sweet, and considerate. I'm really lucky to have you."

He shakes his head, "I'm lucky."

The two get out of the car.

The two begin to walk towards the school.

They look over.

Zach's car is pulling into the parking lot.

Leah stares, "What the hell would he be doing here?"

The two stare, holding hands.

Zach stops in front of the school.

He gets out.

Zach walks around the the passenger's door and opens it.

Marti steps out.

Leah stares, "You gotta be kidding me."

She starts to walk towards the car.

James follows, "Wait."

Leah runs up to her, "How dare you?"

Marti turns to her, "Hey..."

Leah shakes her head, "Don't 'hey' me. You two are here rubbing this in my face? At my own school?"

Zach looks at her, "Leave her alone Leah. I was just giving her a ride."

Leah scoffs, "Don't talk to me."

Marti nods, "I'm sorry Leah, but honestly you need to get used to seeing this."

Leah looks at them, "What?"

Marti and Zach look at each other.

Leah scoffs, "Are you two actually dating now?"

Marti and Zach both look at Leah.

Towers:

Clarissa is sitting at her laptop.

She is trying to catch up on her work.

Baby Adam is crying from the next room.

Clarissa is getting a headache.

The baby continues crying.

A frustrated Clarissa shouts, "Stop it!!!"

The baby's crying continues.

Clarissa holds her head.

She begins to cry herself, "Oh my God! Please stop it!"

She turns the baby monitor off.

The crying can still be heard.

She gets up.

Clarissa is pacing, "I can't do this anymore! I can't do this. I can't do this."

Clarissa trips over his toys.

She kicks them across the room.

A frustrated Clarissa begins sobbing.

The baby is still crying.

Clarissa gets up.

She walks into his room.

She cries, "I'm sorry."

Clarissa picks up her son.

She holds him close, "I am so sorry Adam."

She begins to get Adam dressed.

Clarissa leaves with her little baby boy.

WSPR:

A new episode of "Light Talk".

Blake, Dinah, Natalia and Mel sit in their seats.

Blake looks at the screen, "Today we are going over the topic of teen pregnancy. An issue that has become increasing and more common in recent years. As many of you may know, I am now the mother of a teen Mom. And my cohost Natalia here was a teen mom herself."

Natalia nods, "Yes. When I was young I made the spur of the moment decision to make love with my boyfriend. And he was dealing with a lot of stuff at the time and he ended up moving away. And this was before the days of Facebook and Internet. So when I found out I was pregnant I realized I was on my own."

Mel looks at her, "Did you deal with a lot of judgement?"

Natalia nods, "Oh yes. For a long time. A lot of people thought Rafe was my little brother. But I thought the worst part would be being pregnant. Because then everyone looks at you and sees that you're a pregnant kid. You just get such low self esteem from it. But the hardest part was by far the mothering part."

Dinah looks at her, "I didn't have kids until I was an adult and I had a hard time with it. I still am."

The women laugh.

Natalia nods, "It was incredibly difficult. Raising AJ is much easier than raising Rafe, even though I'm once again on my own. I struggled for money a lot. But I never did anything illegal, wrong or underhanded. I kept my values. I couldn't sacrifice my integrity because I wanted to instill that in my son. And it was tough. Rafe has diabetes. And that right there made it even scarier."

Blake sighs, "I imagine. Clarissa seems to be handling it well. She is going to school, raising Adam, looking for jobs. But I'm sure it must be really tough still, more than she lets on."

Mel shakes her head, "I cannot imagine how different my life would have been. I always tell my daughter and step son to never forget what they are going to risk if they decide to have sex."

Blake sighs, "Well you can tell them all you want. They won't listen."

Dinah nods, "And sometimes you might as well tell them to have sex if you want there to be a chance that they won't."

The four women laugh.

Cedars:

Colin walks around the play room.

The children going through cancer treatment are playing.

Colin looks around, "Hey Paul. Hi Marcy. Hey Crystal."

The children all smile when they see him.

Liz walks in, "Hi."

He grins, "Hey you. What's going on?"

She looks around, "This place almost looks the same as when I was a kid. Weird."

He nods, "Yeah. I was thinking of trying to raise some money to make this room even better for the kids."

She nods, "That's a great idea. I never really thought of that. Once I was cancer free, I was so afraid to walk these halls again. I don't know why."

Colin nods, "Lots of patients feel that way. You just need to make sure it never gets in the way of your check ups."

She smiles "Trust me I don't. You wouldn't let me do that."

He laughs, "No I wouldn't."

She grins, "I'm glad you're back in Springfield."

He nods, "Me too. It's great to see you, Reva and the Bauers. I forgot how many great people there were in this town."

She sighs, "A lot has changed."

He looks at her, "I keep hearing about the crazy year it's been."

Liz nods, "Yep. It's always one scandal after another."

He shakes his head, "Well I'm sorry you have to go through that stuff. You deserve so much better than that."

She sighs, "Maybe."

One of the kids runs past.

Colin smiles.

Liz nods, "I want to donate money to this. It's not a big deal for me financially. But I think it's something I need to do."

Colin grins, "If you can then I think that's an incredible idea."

Liz and Colin smile at each other.

Beacon:

Marah walks downstairs into the lobby.

Edmund is standing down there, "Hi."

She looks at him, "Hi."

He walks over, "Did you confront Annie?"

She nods, "Yes. Annie and I are done."

He looks at her, "I'm sorry you had to find out this way Marah. I hate seeing you hurt."

She nods, "It's okay. Annie is a horrible person. I can't believe I let myself forget that for as long as I did."

Edmund sighs, "I know you two grew close."

Marah nods, "I still care about Annie. She's like a second mother to me. But I just can't have her in my life. My Dad said the same thing and I didn't understand it. But now I do. Annie is so destructive. It's almost like a curse to let her into your life. You know what I mean?"

He nods, "People have said the same thing about me."

She shakes her head, "But you've changed."

He looks at her, "You think so?"

She nods, "We both have. After I had my miscarriage... I was so confused about things. I made a lot of mistakes. And I turned to Annie. But now I feel like I can breathe on own again."

He grins, "That's great."

The two kiss.

Marah sighs, "I need to take care of a few things in my office. But maybe after that we can go to lunch together?"

He sighs, "Does that mean.... we're okay?"

She nods, "I think we have a lot to talk about. But I really miss you Edmund. I want to see if we can work on things."

He grins, "You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that."

Marah smiles, "I'm not screwing things up this time."

He nods, "Neither am I."

Marah and Edmund kiss.

PART TWO:

Springfield High:

Leah, James, Zach and Marti all stand outside.

Leah stares at them, "Are you two a couple now?"

Zach nods, "We are trying."

Marti nods, "It felt stupid to cause all of this drama and not even explore our relationship."

Leah scoffs, "To see if it was worth it right?"

Zach looks at her "Leah, you're at school. Could you please not do this now?"

She looks at him, "Shut up!"

He scoffs, "You dumped me!"

She looks at Marti, "You said you were my friend. I trusted you. I helped you get onto the cheerleading sqaud. I introduced you to everyone. And you just wanted to take it all didn't you?"

Marti shakes her head, "No. That is not what this is."

Leah scoffs, "You aren't going to take my life away. This is my school."

Marti shakes her head, "God! You are so possessive. This is not 'your' school! Zach doesn't belong to you! Get over yourself Leah."

Leah stares at her, "I can't believe I actually thought you were a nice person."

Marti nods, "I am."

Leah shakes her head, "No you're not. You are nothing more than a back stabbing whore. And guess what, there are a million girls just like you. There is nothing special about you. Except maybe you're really good in bed. So congratulations. Maybe you can be friends with Belinda."

Leah turns away.

Marti scoffs, "You are such a stuck up bitch."

Leah looks at her, "Your opinion doesn't mean anything. Thank you for opening my eyes about Zach. Because now I'm really lucky. And I am so glad I didn't give myself to you Zach. Marti can have you."

Leah takes James's hand.

The two walk into school.

Cedars:

Liz and Colin sit together at a small table.

They are looking at all of the drawing the kids have done.

She picks up one, "I think this is supposed to be you."

He grins, "The nose gave it away huh?"

She laughs, "It doesn't do you justice."

He sighs, "These kids are incredible. I mean it's always nice to see an adult patient who is upbeat. But for the most part they are all fighting depression. But with kids they don't usually let it get them down all the time. It's incredible. I think it makes it easier on the parents."

She nods, "I bet. Looking back now, I didn't even realize how hard it was for my parents. They must have been horrified to know what I was going through. I can't imagine that happening to Sarah or to Clay. I would rather it happen to me all over again before that."

Colin nods, "That's a Mom for ya."

She sighs, "I never imagined myself like this. I thought at this point in my life I would be the next Paris Hilton. But life takes you in crazy places I guess."

He sighs, "I guess so."

She shakes her head, "All I ever cared about was myself. I didn't even appreciate Sarah until I lost her. I'm so glad that I'm better with Clay."

Colin grins, "From what I see you're a great mother."

Liz nods, "Remy really helped me get through my problems. I miss him everyday."

Colin nods, "I didn't really know Remy. But from what I hear he was an amazing man. And I think you two were lucky to have each other."

She sighs, "He was the love of my life. I had a lot of boyfriend before. Joey, Coop, Jonathan... you. But Remy was just... my soul mate."

Colin nods, "That's good. I'm glad you get that."

She takes his hand, "I think you'll find it too one day."

He grins, "Maybe."

The two continue looking at the children's artwork.

WSPR:

"Light Talk" continues.

Blake looks at the camera, "We're back, and we are talking about teen pregnancy today."

Dinah nods, "This is really one of those topics that you can't get into without getting into dangerous territory."

Blake nods, "It brings up the pro life vs pro choice debate."

Natalia nods, "Oh goodness."

Mel looks at them, "Everyone has their own opinions and they are entitled to them. But I think if someone makes the choice to have sex then they should deal with the consequences. But not everyone does choose."

Natalia sighs, "I'm probably going to get a lot of hate for my opinion which makes me sad. But I can never imagine punishing a child by not giving them a chance at life. No matter how they were conceived, no matter what disabilities they have, no matter how hard it will be for you, I don't think the child should be punished."

Dinah sighs, "I'm sorry but I don't think a girl should throw her life away for that. And bringing a child into an unbalanced home is not fair to the child is it?"

Blake nods, "Well we've obviously got each side represented which is good. I think we have a good balance here as always. But let's not go to deep into this. Everyone makes their own choices despite what we say on here."

Dinah looks at her, "Exactly. Even though I can't imagine being a teen mom, I applaud Natalia here and my little sister for being able to do so."

The audience applauds.

Blake looks at the camera, "But to be clear we are not glamorizing teen pregnancy. It's a situation that no one should make their goal. It can be one of the most stressful events a person to go through, especially so young."

Mel looks around, "And it's pretty easy to avoid. A lot easier than people think. Some people are just getting lazy now or just don't care."

Blake looks at the camera, "Obviously teen pregnancy isn't as taboo as it was when we were kids. You see it on TV everyday in fiction and non fiction programming. But I hope everyone remembers it's very real and very avoidable. We'll be back with some young mothers who give their opinion on this issue."

The women talk as it goes to commercial.

Farmhouse:

Bridget is pacing around her house.

She is looking for her documents she needs for work.

She just got back home when she realized she had forgot them.

There is a knock at her door.

Bridget walks over, "Coming."

She opens the door.

Clarissa is standing there holding Baby Adam.

Bridget stares, "Clarissa? Hi."

Clarissa sighs, "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have come here. I don't know why I thought this would be a good idea for me. I just remembered you said I could talk to you sometime. I'll go home."

Bridget stops her, "No it's okay."

Clarissa shakes her head, "No. It's a school day you were probably getting ready to go to work."

Bridget shakes her head, "I came home to get some stuff. The assistant principal is covering for me right now. Come on inside for a minute."

Clarissa comes in with Adam.

Bridget looks at her, "Are you okay?"

Clarissa shakes her head, "No. I don't know what I'm doing. I tried to handle this. But now everyone is going to say 'I told you so'. My parents, my brothers, my friends. They're all going to know what a bad mother I am."

Bridget shakes her head, "Don't say that."

Clarissa cries, "It's too much."

Adam won't stop crying.

Bridget looks at him, "He's beautiful."

Clarissa sighs, "You haven't seen him yet. Would you want to hold him?"

Bridget smiles, "Can I?"

Clarissa nods, "Sure. My arms hurt. He's heavy."

Bridget takes him, "Oh he's not that heavy. Oh my goodness. He fits so perfectly in my arms. Don't you little guy? Oh you're so cute. You remind me of Peter when he was your age."

Adam stops crying.

Clarissa stares, "I'm not a mother. I can try and I can try but I'm not ready yet. By the time I'm ready the kid is going to be as screwed up as I am."

Bridget shakes her head, "No. Don't say that."

Clarissa sighs, "It doesn't make sense. There are so many couples out there who can't even have kids. Why would God give me one? It is so messed up."

Bridget sighs, "Everything happens for a reason?"

Clarissa sighs, "What good can come from this?"

Bridget looks at little Adam.

Cedars:

Michelle walks out of the restroom.

J approaches her, "Dr. Bauer."

She nods, "Dr. Chamberlain."

He smiles, "You look nice today."

She shakes her head, "No I don't. Are you trying to be funny? Because I'm really not in the mood for it."

He grins, "Ooh. Someone's in a bad mood today? Wake up on the wrong side of the bed?"

She sighs, "Must you annoy me with your outdated expressions?"

J laughs, "See I remembered you being so sweet and nice."

She looks at him, "And I recalled you having some tact and manners. But I guess things change now don't they?"

He stares at her.

She sighs, "I'm sorry."

He nods, "It's okay."

She shakes her head, "No it's not. I'm tired. I couldn't get to sleep last night. My kids are driving me crazy lately. And I just started a new diet."

He laughs, "A diet? Come on."

She sighs, "It's a healthy diet. I'm a doctor. I'm not jumping into one of those fads."

He shakes his head, "Are you going to spend your lunch with all the skinny nurses and eat granola and salad?"

She nods, "Maybe."

He shakes his head, "No. No good."

She stares, "What?"

He smiles, "How about you spend your lunch break with me? I promise you that you'll have the time of your life."

She nods, "That's a big promise."

He laughs, "I'm a big guy."

She scoffs, "I'm sure."

He grins, "See you there."

J walks away.

She shouts, "I didn't agree yet."

J keeps walking.

Beacon:

Marah and Edmund are holding hands.

They walk down to her office.

She sighs, "I have so much work to do. It's not even funny."

He looks at her, "I thought you'd have less work now that Ava is back."

Marah shakes her head, "I'm not good at working with other people. Especially Ava. I'm handling a lot on my own, my choice. I like it that way."

He sighs, "I understand."

She grins, "Maybe you can keep me distracted for a few minutes?"

He smiles, "Or a few hours."

Edmund puts his hand on her face.

The two kiss.

Marah opens the door to her office.

The two walk in.

They stop.

Marah's office has been torn a part.

Marah stares, "Oh my God."

Edmund looks around, "Who would do this? Don't you have a lock?"

She sighs, "Yeah. I do. The janitors would have seen this. This had to have been this morning or something. I don't know what's going on."

He nods "Maybe I should get a security guard."

She sighs, "Maybe."

Edmund nods, "I'll be right back."

Marah looks around.

She walks over to her desk.

Marah picks up one of the papers thrown about.

A great amount of the papers are the fliers reporting Ava missing.

Marah stares in shock.

PREVIEWS:

Marah panics!

Clarissa has a proposition

Ross gets advice from Holly

Mel informs Dinah

Michelle has fun with J

Belinda and Marti have it out