DavidEvanSmith

February 2008 (Sweeps) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <<< Previously on Beyond the Horizon, New Years 2008 changed lives everywhere... Hattie (Kate Collins) was "innocently" trying to frame Eleanor (Catherine Hickland) for Driving Under Intoxication when she accidentally ran down hospital orderly Carina Reynoso (Natalia Livingston)! Hattie had no choice but to pin that crime on Eleanor too! Tiffany (Ambyr Childers) found a familiar charm bracelet at the scene of the car accident and swiped it before Rolo (Ignacio Serricchio) saw it. Henry Von Stadt (Sebastian Roché) nearly decided to let Eleanor's (and the Von Stadt International) secrets die with her in her hospital bed, but couldn't bring himself to end her life. Carina's sister Aviva (Christina Chambers) was horrified to learn Eleanor had run down Carina, and couldn't understand boyfriend Ramon's (Kamar de los Reyes) sympathy for his former boss Eleanor. Eleanor woke up from the accident only to be arrested minutes later for hitting Carina Reynoso! Henry hired Evan Royale (Ian Buchanan) to oversee Eleanor's defense in court. But does Henry really want her to go free or go to prison? Von Stadt International offers to handle distribution for Jenna Baldwin's (Kari Wuhrer) fashion label, but the catch is that Jenna must produce the line with her own funds. Of course that means she still needs her father Theodore's (John Ingle) lottery millions! Rebecca (Lindze Letherman) tried to lose her virginity to boyfriend Thomas (Bobby Steggert) to distract herself from her mother's legal troubles, but Thomas put on the brakes. Jenna rented The Redeye to throw a party in honor of her own success, and invited half the town (the half that could do something to further her career, of course). Rod (Forbes March) and Fiona (Connie Fletcher-Staton) are certain that Christian's (David Evan Smith) starring role in their father Terrence's (Walt Willey) new play was what Christian was after all along. Terrence overheard and issued Rod and ultimatum to accept Christian or move out! Julia (Melissa Archer) agreed to attend Jenna's party with James (Alec Musser), and delighted in flaunting James in her disappointed (and crazy!) mother Hattie's face. Rachel Marks (Sherri Saum) used Carina's accident to get closer to her rival Aviva and find out details about Aviva's life that might come in handy in the future. Halperin sisters Crystal (Kerry Butler) and Rebecca bonded over how Jenna Baldwin treated them like "the help". Christian thought he recognized Shawn Marks (Tobias Truvillion) at Jenna's party, making Shawn nervous that his time at Large Bar would need to come to an end. Shawn arranged for Thomas Baldwin's VSI internship to place them in direct contact at work. Scrambling to cover her tracks as Eleanor's case garnered more press, Hattie decided to act as though she and Eleanor had never met! Christian reaffirmed his feelings for Terrence. Aurora/Eddie (Jeffrey Carlson) questioned whether he could have anything substantial with Shawn, but agreed to have Shawn over to his apartment. Ramon confronted Rachel over her insinuating herself into Aviva's life, and it exploded in another heated sexual encounter! While, across town, Carina opened her eyes! >>> Opening Sequence (UPDATED to include Ian Buchanan as Evan Royale!) Watch the Opening Sequence on YouTube! <<< Rehearsals begin for Angels in America, and Rod hopes the strain of living and working together will prove overwhelming to Terrence and Christian's relationship. Unfortunately it has the opposite effect and they are brought closer together. Evan finds Hattie at work at VSI, and asks her about Eleanor. Hattie clarifies that he means Eleanor Halperin. Evan is already encouraged. Hattie says that she knows of her, since Henry has had Hattie call her to schedule their dates before, and of course through all the horrible press lately, but you can hardly say you know someone from what you've read about them. Evan is surprised to hear from Hattie that they had never met. Evan isn't sure how that's possible. Eleanor was so specific about Hattie! Hattie speculated that Henry probably mentioned Hattie to Eleanor a few times. Hattie paints a picture of a lonely, grieving widow so broken by her husband's passing that she even constructed imaginary friends that she could talk to, maybe fixating on the calming sound of Hattie's voice when Eleanor would get a call from Hattie to schedule an appointment with Henry. Evan started to wonder if Eleanor was completely in touch with reality. After Ramon and Rachel's "confrontation sex," Ramon tells Rachel he never wants to see her again and she had better stay away from Aviva as well. Ramon leaves, and Rachel is more convinced than ever that she has a hold on Ramon. Aviva finally gets in touch with Ramon, after attempting to call him several times with no answer, and she tells him that Carina opened her eyes! Ramon claimed he was working and races to the hospital. Concerned that Carina might have already said something to expose Ramon's affair, Ramon is privately relieved to learn that Carina still seemed unresponsive, and that her eyes were an involuntary motor function. Aviva refuses to believe that it was involuntary, and thinks it's a sign that Carina is coming back. Making photocopies and filing forms, Thomas immerses himself in Von Stadt International's acquisitions, astonished at how rapidly-growing VSI has always been. Thomas takes every opportunity to learn from Henry, asking strategy questions during every brief, passing moment he gets with the CEO. Henry jokingly warns him that he's not ready to take over any divisions just yet, but stay on his path, strongly focused on business, and he should go far. Thomas is assigned to report directly to Shawn (at Shawn's request). Evan visits with Eleanor again, while Henry was present, and informed her that Hattie says they have never met. Eleanor becomes irate, not understanding why Hattie would lie so blatantly. Eleanor swears they have seen each other, and she describes Hattie physically. Henry is curious now, and goes with Evan to question Hattie again. Hattie sticks by her story and wonders if maybe Eleanor saw them together at The Redeye on one of their many business lunches, and added Hattie's image to Eleanor's delusions! Evan starts to believe Eleanor is unstable since her husband's death and thinks he can use this to get her acquitted of the charges -- but she may end up in an institution after the acquittal. Music to Hattie's ears! Henry isn't so sure and is curious as to whether Hattie may have a more significant part in it all than anyone knows. Dr. Julia Lawless visits with Ramon and Aviva to give them an update on Carina's condition. Julia believes it's encouraging that Carina's eyes have opened, but until she starts responding to the outside world and speaking, they can't determine if there's any memory loss or permanent damage. Ramon holds out hope that Carina may not remember seeing Ramon and Rachel together. Shawn Marks tries to impart some business knowledge to Thomas by discussing the nature of a pitch meeting, and Thomas catches on quickly and takes Shawn's concept for the meeting a step further. Thomas asks Shawn for a project... some difficult or hesistant affiliate of VSI, or a troubled division of the company. Thomas feels he understands people and the way they think and work, and believes he can take a small or struggling project and make it into a success. Shawn says he will look over one of the less time-sensitive projects on his agenda and get back to Thomas, so he can work on it over time. Thomas is grateful and looks forward to sinking his teeth in. Hattie felt she dodged a bullet with Evan and Henry's questions, but soon realized she didn't have her charm bracelet! Terrified that she last remembered wearing it at New Years, Hattie panicked that it would have been recovered at the scene of the crime. Tiffany came home from class to find Hattie frantically looking for something, but Hattie wouldn't say what it was. Hattie started to sweat, but Tiffany produced the bracelet! Hattie figured Tiffany borrowed it to wear, but Tiffany said she found it in the car when she came upon an unconscious Eleanor after the New Years accident! Jenna Baldwin held her next meeting at VSI to display her risqué line of lingerie to the entire VSI Board of Directors. Each of the 12 board members (including Henry and Leo) got their own personal tray-carrying girl, each clad in a different skimpy negligeé by Jenna's design, offering finger foods and shots of tequila! Thomas was appalled at Jenna's tactics to sell herself and her "trampwear." But with the Board of Directors, the girls were a hit! James Baldwin wouldn't stop hounding Dr. Julia for another date since he had great fun with her at his sister Jenna's party. Julia continues to shoot him down, stressing that she can't help her friend Carina bounce back from her New Years Accident. James offers to show Julia a special Valentines Day, and Julia has a strong reaction to the mention of the holiday. Julia says she doesn't want to date him, she didn't even enjoy herself at Jenna's party and just used James to upset her own mother. James doesn't believe her and says he knows he's given a good time to enough women to tell when they are having one. Julia stops taking his calls. >> The Valentines Day Episodes (Thursday 2/14 - Monday 2/18) Rod learns Christian and Terrence are planning a romantic Valentines Day getaway at the secluded Applewhite cabin. Rod is furious, so he invites Crystal to the cabin, pretending not to know Terrence and Christian were planning the trip there as well. Rod whisks Crystal away to be at the cabin before Christian and Terrence arrive. Christian learns from drag queen Aurora Borealis that Rod took Crystal to the cabin and Christian then develops a plan. Christian and Terrence drive up to the cabin but run out of gas and are stranded in a snowstorm. Christian and Terrence have a romantic Valentines night picnic inside the car. Thomas Baldwin is buoyed by his positive experience at VSI and has Rebecca to his home for a romantic, Valentines night in. Thomas hopes to celebrate his VSI internship and Rebecca apologizes over the dinner Thomas cooked for her. Rebecca feels sorry that she can't keep her mind off her mother being in jail and especially the pain and the drinking that put her there. Thomas is sorry he hasn't been more sensitive to Rebecca's troubles. Rebecca swears he's been perfect with her and she wants to hear more about his VSI work. Thomas goes on about Jenna's over-the-top business meeting and gets Rebecca laughing again. Rebecca thanks Thomas for being the bright spot in her life, and they start to kiss. After their several botched attempts, Thomas and Rebecca finally make love tenderly for Valentines Day! Fiona was forced to cancel plans with Leo Von Stadt because Evan Royale ignored her request to have Valentines Day off from work. Fiona was furious, but threw herself into her work... albeit ignoring Evan all day out of spite. Evan certainly doesn't get much work done, however, because his Valentines tradition is to spend his work day fantasizing! In Evan's first fantasy, Fiona continues giving Evan the cold shoulder until that finally gives way to the passion that has been burning inside Fiona for the entire time they have been working together! Fiona confesses that she has known how much Evan has wanted her since she applied for the internship, and she can no longer contain her desire for him... Evan takes her roughly on his office desk and makes passionate love to her! Ramon tries to get Aviva's mind off Carina for Valentines Day and takes her to The Redeye for a romantic dinner. Rachel turns up there and Aviva doesn't understand why Ramon has such a strong reaction. Rachel briefly catches up with Aviva about Carina and then returns to her seat at the bar. Aviva wants to know why Ramon seems to get so upset when Rachel is around. Ramon says he just doesn't like her. Aviva defends Rachel, saying she's been a good friend since Carina's accident, and urges Ramon to give Rachel a chance. James arrives at the hospital for Valentines Day and tells Julia he knows she had the day off and chose to come in to work anyway. Julia refuses to see him. James can tell she's having a bad reaction to Valentines Day. Julia tries to lie that it's concern for Carina, but James considers Julia a bad liar and senses there is more to it than that. James pesters her until Julia finally breaks down and admits that it was on Valentines Day, ten years ago, when Julia found her father dead. Julia shared the story of her father cheating on her mother with his secretary, and hearing Hattie threaten him over it when she found out. Julia found her father hanging by a noose in their apartment on Valentines Day. Julia said Hattie claimed he must have felt so guilty for his affair that he took his own life, but Julia always suspected that Hattie killed him and made it look like a suicide... but Julia could never prove it. James was sympathetic over everything Julia had to endure back then. James asks Julia to meet him at his garage. Tiffany demanded to know what Hattie's involvement in the accident was, and Hattie tried to dodge the questions but finally broke down and confessed all to her youngest daughter! Hattie made sure to tell Tiffany she never intended for anyone to get hurt, it was only a DUI that Hattie was trying to orchestrate. Hattie explained that Eleanor wasn't worthy of Henry, and Hattie was acting to secure their future as Von Stadts! Tiffany understands her mother's motives and believes things got out of control. Though horrified by her mother's actions, Tiffany also doesn't want to lose her mother, so she agrees to keep her mother's secret and back Hattie's story that Hattie and Eleanor had never met. Evan sits at his desk thinking of the start of Eleanor Halperin's trial and considers the possibility of running into Aviva Reynoso, the victim's sister, in the courtroom as he prepares his defense before court is in session. In the fantasy, Aviva approaches him, sharing her sad story of watching her sister wither away in a hospital bed. Evan defends Eleanor, claiming she is mentally ill and then refusing to discuss the case any further. Aviva is sure there is something she can do to ensure Evan sees the case the way Aviva does. Aviva then proceeds to seduce Evan in order to get him to agree to throw Eleanor's case and let her fry for Carina's accident! Jenna wanted Shawn to take her out for Valentines Day, and wanted to know how invested Shawn is. Shawn reaffirms his commitment, and Jenna tells him to show it by ruining Thomas's internship. Shawn tells Jenna that her kid brother is actually really smart and could be a good help to her if she changed the dynamic of their relationship. Jenna was certain she didn't need "that twerp's" help, and he only lives to see her fail. Jenna wants Shawn's assurance that Thomas is the one that will fail. Shawn decides he will give Thomas the Sapphyre project, which has been years in the making and is virtually hopeless. When he fails at it, they will be able to dismiss Thomas from VSI. Jenna is delighted, and they celebrate by making love... Aurora Borealis performs her Valentines show at Large Bar and is devastated to not find Shawn in the audience. Aurora felt so close to Shawn at the end of January. Rushing to check his phone after the show, Eddie was crushed not to have even heard from Shawn on Valentines Day. Eddie refused the offer of free drinks from some party boys at Large Bar, and went home, even lighting some candles in the hopes Shawn would surprise him... but Shawn never showed. Eddie stayed on the couch, curled up, listening to "All By Myself" on the stereo on Valentines night. Evan gets a call from a nervous Eleanor, and after calming her by assuring her he'll do his best to get her released, Evan fantasizes about the day that he goes to the jail to tell Eleanor she can go home to her family and she's free. Eleanor was so grateful to Evan for giving her her life back that she had to thank him in the only way she knew how... Evan thought it might be dangerous for them to give in to their desires in this "so very dirty" jail cell, but Eleanor threw caution to the wind "Let them lock me up and throw away the key if it means I'll know what it feels like to be your lover!" And with that, Evan made love to Eleanor in her jail cell! Rachel sends Ramon a page after his dinner with Aviva and intercepts him near the back area of The Redeye. Rachel seduces him and he ends up having sex with her in the men's bathroom! Rachel returns to the bar quite satisfied, and orders another drink. Ramon then returns to the table and tells Aviva they should order dessert! Rod can't relax as he anticipates Terrence and Christian's arrival to the cabin. Crystal urges him to let go and enjoy himself and their time together, and she's determined to get his mind off Christian and Rod's father's troubles. Rod assumes that Christian and Terrence canceled their trip since they hadn't yet arrived, and gives into Crystal's romantic overtures. That night, Rod makes mad, passionate, animalistic love to Crystal on a bearskin rug in the middle of the living room. In the heat of passion, Rod mistakenly calls out CHRISTIAN'S name instead of "Crystal", just as Terrence and Christian come through the door and catch them in the act! Terrence was embarrassed to catch his son in the act, Christian got an eyeful and was shocked to hear Rod calling out his name during sex. Crystal was mortified to be seen by Terrence and Christian and had no idea why Rod was shouting Christian's name in bed. Rod had to make sense of his freudian slip. Evan is going over the details of Eleanor's case and looks over the latest update of Carina's medical condition. Evan has a fantasy of going to visit Carina and confessing to the comatose girl about how difficult it is, wanting to see justice for Carina but believing Eleanor is just a lost woman who needs help in dealing with her grief. Just then, Carina wakes up, healthy and strong! Evan is shocked, and offers to get the doctors, or Carina's sister Aviva. But Carina wants him to stay. She tells Evan how strange it was, locked in her own body and not knowing if she was awake or asleep, unable to communicate or feel anything for certain. But now that she's awake she needs to feel alive again. Carina asks Evan to make love to her, make her feel truly alive again, set all her senses on fire! As Evan is about to comply, Fiona barges into Evan's office, jolting him out of his sleaziest fantasy yet. "It's 5pm, I'm leaving!" Fiona said, thrilled to be done for the day. Realizing that she caught Evan daydreaming, she asks if he's gotten any work done today. "It was actually one of my most productive Valentines Days yet, Fiona. Have a good evening," Evan smirked, causing Fiona to roll her eyes as she left the office for the day. Julia meets James at his garage, where he set up a romantic evening in the hopes of creating new Valentines Day memories for Julia. James believes that Julia is so guarded because no one has tried to give her good memories to counteract the bad ones, but James is going to start giving her good memories today. Julia is affected by James's effort, and starts to see James in a different light. The snowstorm gets worse and strands all the lovers at the Applewhite cabin. Rod covers with Crystal that he said Christian's name because he saw him coming through the door. Crystal was sure the name was called BEFORE Christian came through the door. Crystal tried to put it out of her mind. Rod tried to rekindle again that night but Crystal claimed she was tired and froze Rod out. Terrence went to bed as well. Shirtless Rod was sitting in the dark living room remembering his name mix-up and Christian confronts Rod calmly and quietly, telling him he knows Rod booked his getaway intending to ruin Christian and Terrence's Valentines Day. But they arrived late because Christian wouldn't let Rod ruin it for them. Christian challenged Rod to examine why he's so consumed with ending his father's relationship and why Christian is on Rod's mind so much. There is thick tension in the room that just might be sexual. << Evan tries to get Eleanor to plead temporary insanity, but Eleanor swears she isn't crazy. Eleanor is certain she knows Hattie and can't figure out why Hattie would lie -- unless Hattie is trying to cover her own tracks. Henry and Evan go way back, so Henry asks Evan what Eleanor's best chance is. Evan is sure that it's an insanity plea. So Henry tries to talk Eleanor into going through with it! Eleanor is insistent that she's not crazy, and demands to see Hattie in person. Once the Applewhite party returns to NYC from the cabin, Rod demands more from Rachel Marks on her investigation into Christian. Spotting Rod and Rachel together, Crystal confronts Rachel about her interest in Rod. Rod doesn't want Crystal to know he's still investigating Christian. Rachel plays along that she does have an interest in Rod, but Rod reaffirms his commitment to Crystal, and she's secure. Julia catches Tiffany in the throes of angst over the discovery of what Hattie has done to Carina and Eleanor. Tiffany lies that she's having issues with a boy at school, nothing Julia would understand. At college, Tiffany runs into Rebecca and makes a casual effort to chat with her. Rebecca plays it smart as well, fishing to get information about Hattie and Eleanor's relationship. Tiffany says she's never met Eleanor before, she only found her in her car the night of the accident. Rebecca thought for sure Hattie and Eleanor would have come into contact around Henry's office. Tiffany said Hattie never mentioned Eleanor, but Tiffany also tunes out whenever Hattie gushes about work. Tiffany felt guilty that in keeping her mother safe and close, she's robbing Rebecca of her mother. Ramon drops Aviva by her apartment to check her mail and Aviva has received a letter with no return address. Curious, Aviva opens the letter and scrawled out messily on the page is the brief note "Be Careful Who You Trust...". Aviva isn't sure what the letter means and shows it to Ramon. Ramon urges her to forget it, he's sure it's just some prank or a student of Aviva's who has too much time on their hands while Aviva's on personal leave. When Aviva gets her belongings together to head to court, Ramon slips the anonymous letter into his pocket. Meanwhile, Carina is lying in her hospital bed, eyes wide open, and mutters the name "Ramon"! Feeling closer and stronger about each other than they ever have, after making love on Valentines Day, Rebecca Halperin and Thomas Baldwin can't stop calling each other. Thomas mentioned how overprotective Henry Von Stadt's secretary is at work, and then Rebecca realized that Thomas has access to Hattie Wilson through his internship at VSI. Rebecca asks Thomas to keep an eye on Hattie and to let Rebecca know if it seems like Hattie is hiding anything. Thomas promises to keep his eyes and ears open. After a disappointing Valentines Day, Aurora Borealis calls Shawn's office, but intern Thomas answers the call. Aurora tells Thomas to tell Shawn that Aurora called. When Thomas relays the message, Shawn's strange reaction makes Thomas curious. Shawn changes the subject by giving Thomas his assignment -- the Sapphyre project. Shawn wishes him luck! The project hinges on a business mogul that they have been trying to get under the VSI umbrella for a long time and she refuses to even take a meeting to discuss it. The only reason that VSI hasn't completely given up is because it would be an amazing coup if they were able to land her. Thomas is thrilled at the possibility of showing VSI what he could bring to the table. Tiffany goes to the hospital to find Julia and asks Julia why she left the family when Tiffany was so young. Julia said it was complicated. Julia found it hard to stay after their father died. Tiffany wanted to know more. Julia didn't want to dredge it all up. There was something that went on that broke the relationship between Hattie and Julia, and it most likely will never heal. Julia knows she never knew Tiffany very well, and never did much for her as a sister, but if nothing has broken between Hattie and Tiffany, then not ruining that can be what Julia can give her sister. Tiffany wonders if maybe it is broken and she just doesn't know it. Julia asks if Hattie has done something. Tiffany gets flustered and tells Julia to forget it. Evan and Henry ask Hattie to come meet Eleanor. Hattie is resistant to contribute to Eleanor's delusions or become a target in case Eleanor is dangerous. Henry assures Hattie she will be safe and Hattie agrees, feeling like she could make Eleanor look even crazier with an in-person visit. In person, Hattie fakes having never met Eleanor, who is driven to the edge since she's unable to prove they know each other. Defeated, Eleanor started to listen to Evan about the insanity plea. Evan said if she pleads guilty, Eleanor could get court appointed grief counselling/therapy, mandatory AA meetings for the drinking, and maybe some community service. Eleanor agreed, finally, and was escorted out by police to visit the hospital and then head to court! Before going to court, Eleanor is escorted by police to the hospital for a quick follow-up checkup. Eleanor admits to Julia that she's afraid to lose her kids, so soon after they lost their father. Julia understands how hard it can be without a father, but Julia had to tell herself life was going to work out anyway. Eleanor asks about Julia's mother and Eleanor learns her mother is Hattie. Julia asks what Eleanor's relationship to Hattie is, and Eleanor says Hattie may have framed her for Carina's hit-and-run! Eleanor is taken directly to court, and Julia is shocked at the revelation -- but it makes a whole lot more sense out of Tiffany's strange behavior! Shawn Marks leaves his office for the day, but Thomas wants to stay to gte a jump on the Sapphyre project. Late at night, Jenna calls, wanting to speak to Shawn. Thomas tells his big sister that Shawn isn't there, but Jenna orders him to stop lying, she knows that Shawn is working late at the office tonight. Thomas doesn't want to get Shawn in trouble, so he says he is probably at a dinner meeting, but he left the office hours ago. Thomas apologizes if there were any misunderstandings, but secretly takes great pleasure in the notion that Shawn is lying to Jenna. Jenna is embarrassed to look as though she's being lied to in front of her rival half-brother. Jenna then tries Shawn's cell phone, but Shawn doesn't answer. That's because Shawn is at Aurora's apartment, trying to make up for Valentines Day! Eddie didn't want to show Shawn how upset he was over Valentines Day for fear of scaring Shawn away completely, so Eddie just gave in and slept with Shawn again, hoping to show Shawn how he strongly he feels about him. Crystal is concerned when Rod misses her mother Eleanor's court date. But Rod is actually stuck at Large Bar with Christian in a robbery! Henry Von Stadt has sent two masked thugs to hold up Large Bar, looking for something in Eleanor's safe! <<< Stay Tuned for scenes from the next Beyond the Horizon >>> Coming in March, on Beyond the Horizon: Eleanor takes desperate measures with Hattie in order to clear her name. Henry learns the truth about Hattie's motives! Julia employs James to get to the bottom of Hattie's involvement in Eleanor's troubles. Tiffany tries to bury her guilt over her mother's actions. A verdict is rendered, which resolves problems for some, but creates problems for others. Hattie fears the repercussions of her actions. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The mysterious notes that started with Aviva begin enveloping more people. Rolo learns of his brother Ramon's deception. Aviva and Rachel's "friendship" progresses. Carina's condition continues to improve, heightening Ramon's suspicions. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thomas begins researching the mysterious Lauren Sapphyre for his VSI project. Jenna suspects Shawn is sleeping with another woman. Thomas's internship at VSI allows him to gain access to many secrets around the office. Aurora makes a friend of a new hire at Large Bar. Aurora hopes to fill her loneliness with other distractions. Henry and Leo will stop at nothing to reacquire something that belongs to them. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fiona makes a moving decision. Rod and Christian face armed gunmen, and fear for their lives! The hostage situation changes Rod and Christian's dynamic... and then someone is shot! A face from Christian's past emerges with a secret agenda of his own. Crystal realizes that Rod and Christian's brush with death has bonded them. STAY TUNED, the drama never stops unfolding!

January 2008 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <<< Previously on Beyond the Horizon, as the clock struck twelve at midnight, New Years 2008... Rod (Forbes March) shattered a champagne glass in his hand as he witnessed his father Terrence's (Walt Willey) New Years kiss with Christian (David Evan Smith). Thanks to Rod's preoccupation, Crystal (Kerry Butler) missed out on her New Years kiss. Shawn (Tobias Truvillion) and Aurora (Jeffrey Carlson) let their guards down at midnight and shared their real first names... which culminated in a very real first kiss! Carina (Natalia Livingston) witnessed her sister's boyfriend Ramon (Kamar de los Reyes) in a compromising position with Rachel (Sherri Saum) and dashed out of the hospital armed with the damning information right before getting mowed down in the street by... Hattie Wilson (Kate Collins), wearing a blong "Eleanor" wig, while Eleanor (Catherine Hickland) lay passed out drunk in the passenger seat, unaware she was being framed by her "friend" Hattie for drunk driving in order to eject Eleanor from the life of their mutual object of affection, Henry Von Stadt (Sebastian Roché). So as we enter the new year: Carina lays at death's door, and may take Ramon's dirty cheating secret to her grave with her, while her life is in Ramon's hands. Eleanor has no idea that Hattie is about to pin everything on her! Aurora might just get what he's hoping for in 2008... true love. Rod must decide how much he can accept his father's choices, and how much he can REALLY trust Christian. >>> Opening Sequence Watch the Opening Sequence on YouTube! <<< Crystal Halperin immediately starts tending to Rod's wound from the broken champagne glass before he even realizes he's cut himself. Crystal wants to know why Rod is so worked up. Though heated, Rod claims it's because he's been thinking of his mother Emma over the holidays. Rod also says he doesn't blame his father's need to be true to himself. Then a deliriously happy Terrence calls the whole bar to attention to announce that he is going to be producing "Angels in America" this year, which Aurora Borealis has agreed to appear in, and the production will also STAR Christian Avery Field. Hattie Wilson struggled to regain her composure after realizing she ran a woman down with Eleanor's car. A fair distance down the road from the hospital, Hattie drives the car erratically until crashing into a lamppost. Acting quickly, she checks for witnesses, and seeing no one around, she pulls a passed-out Eleanor into the drivers seat and presses Eleanor's hands firmly around the wheel to leave fingerprints. Hattie, of course, had prepared herself with gloves. Hattie scurries off into the darkness and takes a subway train home. "THE STARRING ROLE, two months into dating my father?!" Rod explodes, "Are you KIDDING me?!" Crystal and Fiona (Connie Fletcher-Staton) try to calm Rod. Rod's suspicions that Christian is using his father to further his career and reputation are renewed and Rod is further infuriated when Crystal and Fiona try to give Christian the benefit of the doubt. "What more evidence do you need that Christian has a plan, and it's WORKING!" Rod was insistent. Tiffany (Ambyr Childers) and Rolo (Ignacio Serricchio), fresh from their New Years Eve celebration at a bar in the area of the car accident, find Eleanor slumped over the steering wheel of her car, and believe she just drove drunk into a lamppost. Tiffany calls an ambulance and secretly notices a familiar charm bracelet on the floor of the drivers seat. Tiffany pockets the bracelet without letting Rolo see it and she and Rolo travel with Eleanor to the nearby hospital, where Eleanor is treated. The police tow the car and run tests on it to determine if it's associated with the hit-and-run just reported by Ramon Valdez. Crystal and Rebecca (Lindze Letherman) raced to the hospital when they were notified about their mother's condition, and arrived as Eleanor was being treated for a concussion and alcohol poisoning by Tiffany's older sister, Dr. Julia Lawless (Melissa Archer). Fortunately, Eleanor pulls through. Crystal notified the staff at The Redeye and Large Bar of Eleanor's car accident and Aurora (as Eddie) shows up to support his close friend Eleanor. Rod arrived to support Crystal, and as Eleanor's best friend, Terrence came to the hospital as well, with Fiona and Christian arriving with him. Thomas (Bobby Steggert) arrived to support Rebecca, as any decent boyfriend would do. Ramon called Aviva (Christina Chambers) to tell her that her sister was hit by a car, and Aviva was devastated! Aviva was slightly relieved, though, that Ramon was quickly on the scene and was at the hospital already. Upon her arrival at the hospital, Aviva can't imagine how this could have happened to Carina, on New Years Eve, no less. Aviva assumes it was some drunk partygoer that had too much to drink for New Years. Aviva hears about Eleanor's accident and since Eleanor is the mother of Aviva's best student Rebecca, and Ramon's former boss, Aviva wants to go offer her support. Ramon holds off on telling her that he believes Eleanor ran Carina down until the police came up with something conclusive. Henry Von Stadt arrives in the middle of the night as Eleanor remains unconscious. Speaking to himself, Henry wonders if rather than seducing Eleanor to get the information he needs from her, if he should just silence her permanently, and let the secrets that she holds the key to die with her. Henry caresses Eleanor's I.V. drip with an eerie calm, but looking at Eleanor in the hospital bed, it seems Henry can't bring himself to do what he feels he should. Just then, Eleanor opens her eyes. Eleanor looks around, wondering what happened, why her head hurts so much. Henry just tells her to rest, and everything will be okay, and Eleanor drifts off to sleep again, since she is heavily medicated. Carina lingers in a coma, and Aviva sits vigil at her bedside. Aviva tried to get in touch with their parents (who are divorced), but couldn't reach either of them. Aviva has trouble coping with this tragedy because nothing like this has ever happened to her before. Ramon is there to support Aviva, and Rolo stops by. Not sure what to say to make Aviva feel better, Rolo apologizes to Aviva for his behavior in her class. Obviously that is little comfort to Aviva while her sister is comatose. Rebecca also stops in to visit her professor, and extends her prayers to Carina. Outside Carina's room, Ramon is questioned by the police as a witness to the accident, and reluctantly fingers Eleanor as the driver of the car (admitting he saw a platinum blond behind the wheel of Eleanor's car). Eleanor wakes up the next morning to overjoyed and relieved friends and relatives. Everyone's joy is soon dashed when a policeman arrives to question her about her car and license plate number. Eleanor doesn't understand and her memory is fuzzy. After Eleanor confirms her car, the police place Eleanor under arrest in her hospital bed for drunk driving and vehicular assault! Aviva (and pretty much everyone!) is horrified to learn that Eleanor was the driver of the car that ran down Carina, and Aviva demands justice. Ramon sympathizes with Eleanor, believing she was grief-stricken over her husband's death when she got drunk and got behind the wheel. Aviva doesn't care what motivated Eleanor and is furious with Ramon for caring, considering what happened to Carina. Eleanor tries to process what's going on, not remembering anything after she started drinking New Years Eve. Fiona calls Royale & Klein, the law firm where she works, in order to try to secure legal representation. "Is she fetching?" Evan Royale (Ian Buchanan) asks. "Excuse me?!" Fiona doesn't get it. "Is she attractive, Fiona, yes or no?" Evan persists. "What does that have to do with ANYTHING, this woman's life and future is at stake!!!" Fiona can't stand her boss. Evan refuses the case if Fiona won't give an answer to his question, and hangs up on her. Fiona growls in frustration at her phone. Eleanor, in handcuffs and a hospital wheelchair, visits Aviva at Carina's room and is taken aback to see Carina's condition and is devastated that she could have caused this. Eleanor apologized for everything, but also doesn't remember that anything happened, and if Eleanor wasn't responsible, she promises to help Aviva find the culprit. Aviva won't hear of it and orders Eleanor to get her life together before she does anyone else as much damage as she did to Carina. Eleanor leaves Carina's room in shame, feeling like her life really has collapsed since her husband Charles's death. Fiona is shocked when Evan Royale DOES show up offering Eleanor his legal representation, and Fiona believes Evan has redeemed himself by caring about the case and not how beautiful the client is. Evan laughs, saying he cares about the money -- Henry Von Stadt hired him to represent Eleanor. Evan looks through the window of Eleanor's hospital room and remembers that he ran her husband's will reading, and scolds Fiona for holding out on the fact that Eleanor is QUITE fetching... Fiona is disgusted. Leo (Jeff Branson) is confused as to why his father hired Evan Royale to defend Eleanor in court, when Eleanor may be armed with information that could bring down Von Stadt International and their entire empire. Henry revealed that not only does Evan have the potential to lose the case and get Eleanor sent away for a long time, but if Eleanor is acquitted, then Eleanor would owe Henry a great deal. Leo would rather let Eleanor go to jail and be done with it, but Henry is disappointed that as usual, Leo is missing the big picture. Shawn Marks set up a meeting between Jenna Baldwin (Kari Wuhrer) and Henry and Leo Von Stadt to pitch her design label to Von Stadt International. Walking in like she owned the place, Jenna's considerable charm (and talent... kinda) impressed Henry and Leo and after some consideration and a few looks at her portfolio, they decided to give Jenna a shot. VSI offers to oversee distribution for Jenna, but Jenna must produce the line with her own funds... meaning Jenna still needs daddy's millions! Nevertheless, Jenna is thrilled to have her foot in the door at VSI and wants to throw a party to celebrate her success. Crystal struggled to maintain The Redeye, while trusting Rod with most of the business at Large Bar, while her mother faced her legal troubles. Crystal was equal parts excited and nervous when Jenna Baldwin called to rent out The Redeye for a lavish party to celebrate her successful pitch to VSI. Crystal confided to Rod that she wasn't sure she could handle a party of Jenna's standards without her mother's expertise, but Rod offered to help out. Meanwhile, Jenna sent out invitations to Henry and Leo Von Stadt, Shawn and Rachel Marks, and as many other movers and shakers Jenna could track down in NYC! Jenna also managed to toss an invitation in the direction of her brother James. Jenna failed to invite her father (and chief investor!) Theodore (John Ingle), but when Thomas overheard Jenna and James discussing the party, Thomas made sure to mention it, forcing Jenna to invite her father. Jenna claimed she figured the party might be too much stimulation for her father as a recovering heart patient, and so she chose not to invite him. Aviva prays hard for her sister's recovery, but when Ramon tells her that perhaps it's better that Carina stay comatose for now, so the body can recuperate, Aviva lashes out at Ramon, telling him he sounds like he doesn't want Carina to wake up at all! Ramon gives Aviva her space and goes out to that floor's waiting area, where he encounters Rachel. Rachel seems genuinely concerned for Carina and feels responsible for her part in Carina's accident. Ramon outwardly blames Rachel for the accident and rejects her, furious that she ever steamrolled her way into his life. Ramon regrets ever meeting her! Rachel is hurt, but takes it as a sign that Ramon is more attracted to her than he wants to be or can control. Henry Von Stadt admired Jenna Baldwin's nerve when he received an invitation to her party at The Redeye. Henry tosses the invite in the trash, due to Eleanor Halperin's legal woes, but Hattie fishes the invite out of the trash and advises Henry to attend the party for the sake of the press. Hattie even offers to go as his replacement date! Henry still refuses, and tells Leo to go and represent the company. James Baldwin invited Dr. Julia Lawless to his sister Jenna's party, and Julia turns him down once again, this time because he just spent Christmas with Carina, Julia's co-worker and friend, who lingers in a coma while James is selfishly attending a party and inviting another woman. James explains that he only agreed to date Carina because Julia turned down James's initial date proposal! James tries to convince Julia that he genuinely likes her and she should give him a chance. Julia finally gives in and agrees to attend Jenna's party with James. Rebecca broke down to Thomas that she was afraid of what might happen if her mother is convicted and sent to prison for hitting Carina Reynoso. Thomas lends a supportive ear and Rebecca tries to bury her fears by getting lost in the beginnings of lovemaking with her boyfriend. Thomas pulls back out of respect, thinking that Rebecca would regret any major decisions she made while conducting her life in fear. Thomas thought taking Rebecca to Jenna's party would be a good distraction. Terrence stopped home early to overhear another discussion between Rod and Fiona about Christian's new role in Terrence's next play. Terrence is offended that Rod thinks his father is being played for a fool and confronts his son. Terrence swears he gave Christian the role because he's a talented actor. Rod doesn't doubt that Christian is a talented actor, but he doubts that Christian is ever NOT acting. Terrence accuses Rod of not accepting the fact that his father is gay. Rod admits it took time to come to terms with it, but he did. It's Christian he doesn't trust. Terrence tells Rod to get over it, or get out. Rod's remarks weighing heavy on Terrence's mind, he asks Fiona what she thinks of Christian. Fiona honestly doesn't know. For Fiona, their age difference is alarming, but age is just a number, and she's witnessed no solid reason to doubt Christian. Fiona tells her father to trust his gut and if he's got doubts, he needs to explore them. Terrence decides to invite Christian out to dinner. Leo invited Fiona to Jenna Baldwin's party, and Fiona thought to invite her family, in order to get a better handle on Christian and his mysterious motives. Rod went as Crystal's date, even though she was busy professionally, hosting the party. At Jenna's party, Jenna generously understands Henry declining the invitation, and even goes so far as to make an offer to Leo to speak to the press in support of Eleanor for the sake of VSI (as if Jenna's really "anybody" in the eyes of the press)! Hattie also attended the party (dateless) to support VSI and noticed her daughter Julia was in attendance with a handsome man. Hattie probed about James, who quickly turned Hattie off by revealing he was a mechanic. Hattie took Julia aside to encourage her to doing better for herself than some "grease monkey", and Julia savored the fact that James wasn't the kind of man her mother wanted for her. Julia then took the initiative to put some moves on James that Hattie would rather not have seen! Rachel passes by Carina's hospital room to extend her condolences to Aviva, claiming that she saw the story in the papers (considering that the press is all over the story since prime suspect Eleanor Halperin is dating the very high-profile Henry Von Stadt. Aviva appreciates Rachel's concern and was glad there were still people in the world who cared about victims. Rachel inquired about Aviva's boyfriend, and Aviva shared her frustrations about Ramon with Rachel... and Rachel ate up every last detail. Jenna meets Terrence and mentions that she did some acting in college. Christian and Jenna get a big kick out of each other, which completely offends Crystal Halperin, who Jenna has had no problems treating like "the help" all night. Rebecca definitely sympathizes with her sister Crystal, since Jenna treated Rebecca like an underling at Thanksgiving dinner. Jenna wears a Jenna Baldwin Original to the party, and the dress is a smash hit. Terrence Applewhite asks if she'd be interested in designing the costumes for his upcoming play. Flattered, Jenna agrees to think about it, if she has any time, but warns Terrence she'll be so busy launching her label! Walking off, past James, Jenna privately jokes that she'd never bother with the costuming of some "little play." Discovering Rod is a writer, Jenna wondered if they should set up a meeting, to see if he is any good at ad slogans for her line. Crystal continues to feel overshadowed as "the help", as Jenna keeps handing Crystal all her empty champagne glasses throughout the night! Christian couldn't shake the feeling that he'd seen Jenna's date, Shawn Marks, somewhere before, but can't place him. Jenna's certain Christian would have seen Shawn in the newspaper at some point. Shawn grew nervous, fearing that his time at Large Bar would catch up with him. Jenna's party is officially deemed a success, and Jenna debuts another dress, which is also a hit. Evan Royale finally took a meeting with Eleanor in her hospital room, and remarked that she looked absolutely stunning, given the circumstances. Evan was quite the lecherous lawyer! Eleanor admitted that she didn't remember the night of the accident, which Evan declares could either mean she is very innocent, or very guilty. As Hattie had hoped, Eleanor's brush with the law (to put it mildly) was front page news, drawing plenty of negative press, but Hattie was expecting it to create distance between Henry and Eleanor, not make Henry more protective of Eleanor! Furthermore, since Eleanor's case was snowballing into such an important story, Hattie feared her connection to Henry and Eleanor would be exposed and her manipulations would prove the end of her! Hattie knew she had to cover her tracks somehow. As the next semester at college began, Aviva decided to take time off for Carina's sake, not knowing when Carina would be back to her normal self. Meanwhile, Theodore Baldwin finally returned to teaching for the first time since he won the lottery and had his heart attack. And Thomas Baldwin started his next semester as well as his internship with Von Stadt International, that his half-sister Jenna was not at all happy about. Certain Thomas only wanted the internship to ruin her chance at success through VSI, Jenna began putting pressure on Shawn to sabotage Thomas's internship before it really had a chance to begin. Shawn decided to keep his friends close and enemies closer, so if he WAS going to put an end to Thomas's internship, then he would need to work with Thomas directly. Ever since their New Years kiss, Aurora was dreamily getting her hopes up about something serious developing between her and Shawn. But Shawn, after his close call at being recognized from Large Bar by Christian at Jenna's party, decided to visit Large Bar to tell Aurora he couldn't attend her shows anymore. Shawn arrived during Aurora's strip show while Aurora was trying to recruit participants, and when the spotlight lands on Shawn, he flees! Aurora fears she ruined things with Shawn for good. Hattie started to think back to whether she left any kind of paper trail. Was there any physical evidence linking Hattie to Eleanor? Hattie doesn't have credit cards, so she always paid cash at The Redeye. None of Hattie's family had ever seen her with Eleanor, and Hattie was careful to make sure Henry was unaware of their connection. Deciding she had plausible deniability, Hattie came up with an idea to gaslight Eleanor, making her appear unstable, which would not only cover Hattie's tracks, but hopefully put Eleanor away for good! Christian was charmed when Terrence took him to a romantic dinner at The Redeye. But soon realized Terrence was looking for reassurance, to reaffirm his relationship with Christian. Terrence opened up about his fears that there's no reason Christian should love him out of all the younger, hotter, more sculpted options he has out there in the gay community. "I don't care about flings, with pretty young things," Christian assured him, "I love you, Terrence, because you see me more accurately than anyone ever has. You support me... believe in me... and you've provided me with unconditional security and support. It's something that I haven't had in my lifetime, Terrence. You make me feel safe and confident and loved. You don't see how I should love you for that?" Terrence felt immensely better and more secure about their deepening relationship after Christian opened up. Aurora (in everyday clothes as Eddie Dawson) runs into Shawn at The Redeye and Shawn almost didn't recognize "Aurora"! Shawn behaves differently, since Shawn had never met "Eddie," but as they spoke (and after Eddie apologizes for the spotlight attention at Large Bar), Shawn realizes it's Eddie that Shawn is attracted to, not just Aurora. Eddie says that if Shawn can't come to Large anymore, then the two of them should meet for dinner or drinks elsewhere. Shawn agrees, but Henry Von Stadt interrupts, inquiring about Shawn's friend. Shawn scrambles, and lies that Eddie is his personal shopper, making comments to Henry about how Shawn knows nothing about style like "these people" do. Eddie is embarrassed, but goes along with the lie. Eddie has brunch with his good friend Terrence and shares that he feels like whatever he has with "this man" (not using Shawn's name) will forever be a secret. Terrence wonders if Eddie will be able to live like that, considering how publicly Eddie chooses to live his life. Eddie decides not to call Shawn, to see if Shawn will call him. Several days later, after Shawn spent a night in Jenna's bed, Shawn called Eddie and asked to come over to Eddie's apartment for drinks. Eddie got excited despite himself, and started setting up his tiny apartment for a date while blasting "I Wanna Come Over" on the stereo. Once Eleanor was recovered from her injuries, she was transferred to jail to await her court date. Evan worked with her, trying everything to try to get her to remember that fateful night. But Eleanor finally realized -- she was drinking with Hattie that night! Evan hopes Hattie Wilson might be able to shed some light on what really happened that night, so Evan goes to visit Hattie at VSI and interview her. Shawn arrived at Eddie's apartment and they talk over glasses of wine. Eddie is dressed as Eddie and wants to know about Shawn. Initially guarded, Shawn opens up and tells Eddie about his bratty sister that he's stuck living with at the moment, and their parents. Shawn reveals that his mother is a well-known fashionista and his father is a world class con artist, which led to a very rocky childhood up until his parents divorce. Eddie asks if anyone has ever known Shawn was gay, and Shawn refuses to be considered gay or closeted, he just enjoys sex. Shawn makes fun of Eddie's cramped apartment, and Eddie teases back that he doesn't need to overcompensate for anything by having a big expansive home. Shawn promises he doesn't need to overcompensate for anything either, and their flirtation leads them to kiss passionately... until they begin to start taking each other's clothes off! Rachel continued visiting with Aviva, and supporting her as a "concerned friend," all the while gathering information on her secret rival and developing a growing hatred for Aviva's (up until recently, at least) charmed life. Later, Ramon tries to make amends with Aviva, who rebuffs him, telling him she needs time. Ramon doesn't want Aviva to have to go through this by herself. Then, Aviva mentions that Rachel, who they met at the Baldwins during Christmas, has been coming by to support her. Ramon is furious and wonders exactly how obsessed Rachel is with him. Finding her at Shawn's apartment, Ramon launches a heated confrontation... which finally explodes in passionate, angry, and dirty sex all over the room! Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Aviva sees a ray of hope when Carina opens her eyes! <<< Stay Tuned for scenes from the next Beyond the Horizon >>> Coming in February, on Beyond the Horizon: Hattie claims she has never met Eleanor before! Evan Royale wonders if Eleanor is completely in touch with reality. Hattie realizes she lost her charm bracelet. Tiffany learns how far her mother will go to get what she wants. Evan enjoys some Valentine's Day fantasies... Eleanor goes on trial! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Carina's recovery is just beginning Ramon wonders why he can't stay away from Rachel. Ramon tries his best to devote Valentine's Day to Aviva. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thomas and Rebecca reach a turning point on Valentine's Day. James pulls out all the stops to redeem V-Day for Julia Lawless, who faces painful memories from the holiday. Thomas impresses Shawn and Henry at VSI, making Jenna very nervous. Eddie is devastated not to hear from Shawn for Valentine's Day Jenna wants to know exactly how invested Shawn is in her. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rod hopes that the stress of working and living together will be the end of Terrence and Christian. Rod uses Crystal to try to ruin Christian and Terrence's Valentine's Day plans. Rod makes a very crucial Freudian slip at a very unfortunate moment! Rod wants Rachel back on the Christian investigation! Crystal wonders if Rod is having an affair. Rod and Christian's lives are placed in danger.

December 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <<< Opening Sequence Watch the Opening Sequence on YouTube! >>> Rodney Applewhite (Forbes March) was just finishing a long, hot shower, and stepped out while Christian (David Evan Smith) was coming into the bathroom! Catching full glimpse of Rod, Christian appeared not to be bothered with what he saw. Rod was embarrassed and furious, accusing Christian of their accidental run-in not being such an accident. Christian thinks Rod's mind is too suspicious, and Rod shouldn't worry, especially since Rod obviously has nothing to be embarrassed about. Rod couldn't help but think the shower surprise was planned and wondered exactly how devoted Christian was to Rod's father Terrence (Walt Willey). Eleanor Halperin (Catherine Hickland) confided in her good friend Terrence about her wonderful date with Henry Von Stadt (Sebastian Roché) at the opera, but felt she might have been betraying her husband's memory. But Eleanor felt conflicted, because, not knowing if Charles was trying to abandon her and the girls when he died, Eleanor isn't so sure she owes her husband's memory anything. Ramon Valdez (Kamar de los Reyes) was thrilled when a letter came to his apartment. It was about the courses he was taking to become an Emergency Medical Technician. Ramon passed, and could now work as an EMT! Rolo (Ignacio Serricchio) was happy for his brother, since they both knew how stressful it was to balance work and school. Now, Ramon no longer had to work for Eleanor Halperin managing Large Bar and bartending at The Redeye! While Eleanor knew that losing Ramon was a possibility, she didn't think it would happen so quickly, so when Ramon quit, Eleanor was left shorthanded, and wasn't quite sure what to do. At Von Stadt International, Leo Von Stadt (Jeff Branson) was somewhat comforted by the very maternal attitude his father's new secretary Hattie Wilson (Kate Collins) had taken towards him. It had been years since a woman prepared him a sack lunch daily! Leo passed his lunch off to Shawn Marks, however, when Leo had a date with Fiona Applewhite (Connie Fletcher). Despite their hectic schedules, Leo's full days at VSI and Fiona's time split between classes at law school and her internship at Royale & Klein law firm, Leo and Fiona still managed to find time between appointments at least once a week for a romantic "power lunch". Things hadn't gone very deep between them, but neither of them were looking for, or even had the time for, deep soul-searching and staring into each others' eyes. Shawn Marks (Tobias Truvillion) worked through lunch at VSI to "add elements" to Leo's scheduled presentations for the week. He hadn't been asked to, and no one knew Shawn was doing so, but Shawn knew the value of the clients that Leo was trying to bring in under the VSI umbrella and wanted to see the company succeed. Shawn's dedication went seemingly unrecognized, which contributed to Shawn's need to get away to some kind of sanctuary. That sanctuary became Aurora Borealis's (Jeffrey Carlson) weekly performances at Large Bar. James Baldwin (Alec Musser) was thrilled to tell his father that he had found the perfect location for his new auto body repair shop. Theodore (John Ingle) was eager to support his son's new venture, especially if it meant his son was going to be putting roots down in New York City. Theodore dragged Thomas (Bobby Steggert) along with him to see the location James found, against Thomas's will. Thomas was eager to challenge his older half-brother, and couldn't help but wonder how James intended to run a business, with limited business knowledge and questionable knowledge about auto body repair. James proceeded to blow Thomas away with his knowledge of cars, but admitted that he didn't know everything about running a business but was reading up on it. Thomas was surprised James could read. Theodore intervened to keep the peace between the half-brothers. Shawn was caught off guard one night, when his sister Rachel Marks (Sherri Saum) found him in the crowd at Large Bar! Rachel was there to collect a payment from her client, Rodney Applewhite, but Rachel couldn't figure out for the life of her why her brother was sitting in a gay bar watching a drag performance. Shawn covered, claiming he was entertaining a VSI client, and since the meeting just ended he couldn't wait to get out of the bar -- since it made him so uncomfortable. Aurora noticed Shawn explaining himself to the pretty woman, and saw Shawn hastily leave with her, leaving Aurora so flustered with jealousy she cut her show short. Aurora wondered if Shawn was bisexual or just a closeted gay man. Evan Royale (Ian Buchanan), of the Royale & Klein law firm, scheduled an appointment with Eleanor Halperin for the reading of her husband Charles's will. Eleanor and her daughters Crystal (Kerry Butler) and Rebecca (Lindze Letherman) mustered up the courage and strength to face what Charles had left them with. Unsure what they would discover through the will reading, the ladies prepared for the worst. But even in preparing for the worst, they would have been content to at least finally have an answer about whether he was planning to abandon them or not. Evan revealed that there was a bulk of Charles's money left in a trust to Rebecca to pay for her continued college and grad school education. Crystal received a trust as well, but it was stipulated that it was to pay for the cost of Crystal's wedding to Rodney Applewhite (even though Crystal and Rod had never even discussed an engagement), and the costs of starting a family together. At first Crystal was excited and flattered at the show of support from her father over her relationship with Rod. But soon Crystal realized the amount of pressure the notion of marriage and having children would place on her relationship with Rod. Eleanor received full ownership of Large Bar and The Redeye, paid in full, to run as she saw fit. Eleanor felt empty after the will reading, not feeling any resolution or hints towards Charles's feelings about them before he drove away to his death. Eleanor commisserated over drinks with her friend Terrence at The Redeye, who couldn't help but notice Eleanor was ignoring phone calls from Henry Von Stadt, lobbying for another date. After finally seeing how much work Rod had been handling at The Redeye while Eleanor was dealing with her husband's death, Eleanor decided to refocus on her work, and offered Rod an opportunity to make money at the job he'd already been doing -- managing a bar. Rod wasn't sure he could manage Large Bar, given that it was a gay establishment. Eleanor offered to still be the general manager and involved in the dealings, but Rod would be the main presence at Large Bar, but would still bartend and oversee all orders and deliveries, and day to day running. He would make a great deal more money for his added responsibility. Rod had to think about it, but once he realized how often his father and Christian go out to Large Bar, Rod saw the greater opportunity in Eleanor's offer. Claiming to Terrence that he wants to express his support of his father's lifestyle, and "get a better understanding of who Christian is," Rod revealed he would be transferring to Large Bar full time. Crystal was devastated that she wouldn't be able to work side-by-side at Redeye with Rod anymore, and hoped not too many men would be flirting with her man. Aviva Reynoso (Christina Chambers) organized a surprise party for Ramon at The Redeye, celebrating his EMT certification, and Ramon was touched. Though he swore he wouldn't attend, Rolo put aside his hostile feelings for his professor, Aviva, in order to support his brother. Rolo invited sexy Tiffany Lawless (Ambyr Childers) as his date to the party, and the two students couldn't keep their hands off each other! Rolo and Tiffany snuck off to the restroom and had their own private celebration. During the party, Ramon has a memory of his illicit tryst with Rachel Marks. Before Thomas and Theodore left James's future shop, Thomas had bragged that he was a business major in college and would be starting an internship at the prestigious Von Stadt International next semester. James was nervous that Thomas was plotting against him and Jenna, and called his sister to warn her about Thomas's upcoming job at VSI. Jenna (Kari Wuhrer) wasn't concerned and doubted that Thomas would have any effect on her fashion label from his position as a lowly intern. James warned Jenna that just by working at VSI, Thomas would have access to information, so she should watch her back. "I always do," Jenna reminded her brother. On his last night at The Redeye before transferring to Large Bar, Rod was surprised that Crystal chose to close early to share an intimate dinner with him. Hinting around the idea of Rod being a father someday, to gauge his reaction to the news of Crystal's inheritance, Crystal was dismayed when Rod spoke of establishing himself as a writer before ever settling down. Not only was Crystal upset that Rod wasn't considering settling down anytime soon, but also that he didn't even imply that when he DID settle down, that it would actually be with HER! Furthermore, Crystal couldn't bring herself to be mad at Rod for too long, because his passion and drive for his art was one of the first things that attracted Crystal to him. Crystal instead was jealous, because it shone a light on the fact that Crystal didn't have many (or any!) dreams of her own that she wanted to pursue before "settling down," and Crystal was growing to resent the fact that her father placed all her value on a marriage to some man. Rod, meanwhile, experienced a true initiation into Large Bar, and wasn't used to seeing so much of gay lifestyle, the public displays of affection, and especially the flirting from customers. Chatting with Rolo, who worked there as a barback, Rolo advised Rod to embrace it and turn it to his advantage. The customers didn't need to know for sure if the staff was straight or gay, but the tips are a lot better if they can believe the staff is gay. At the hospital, Carina Reynoso (Natalia Livingston) delivered the fourth message to Dr. Julia Lawless (Melissa Archer) from Julia's mom Hattie. Julia can't believe her mother's behavior... or rather, she can believe all too well, considering how obsessive Hattie can be. Finally giving in, Julia agrees to visit Hattie's office job to see how well Hattie is getting her life back together. Carina offers to be available for drinks later, once Julia's ready to rejoin the club of "those who yearn for freedom from their families." Julia promises to take Carina up on her offer. Julia arrives for a lunch date with her mother at VSI, but is infuriated when Hattie tries to parlay it into a last minute lunch date between Julia and wealthy young Leo Von Stadt. Leo is amused, but gently lets Hattie down, telling her he's already seeing someone. Hattie tries a harder sell, advertising Julia as a successful and independent doctor, not like all the other golddigging tramps out there in the world. Julia is thoroughly embarrassed and pulls her mother aside, warning Hattie that she needs to keep focused on holding herself together and continuing to function in reality, rather than trying to marry her daughters off to wealthy men. Julia tells Hattie that if she EVER tries to meddle in Julia's life again, romantic or otherwise, it would be the guaranteed last Hattie sees of Julia. Rod's transition to Large Bar continued to be a bumpy one, when during one of her weekly strip show contests, Aurora Borealis lured Rod into the show, and got him to take it all off! An awkward stripper at the start of his performance, the strong reaction from the lusty crowd slowly wore Rod down into submission and he ended up enjoying himself and working the crowd! Down to his underwear, Rod won the strip show contest, had quite a few dollars tucked into the waistband of his undies, and Terrence and Christian seemed to thoroughly enjoy the show. Terrence thanked Rod for choosing to really embrace Terrence's lifestyle and it shows more support and love than Terrence could have hoped for from his son. Privately, Christian teased Rod about his dancing, and Rod was actually surprised to share his first non-hostile moment with Christian. Eleanor gave into Henry Von Stadt's continuous calls about another date, and were surprised by the press, who interrupted their dinner by snapping photos of the latest bombshell on multi-millionaire Henry Von Stadt's arm! Eleanor hadn't even thought of how high-profile Henry Von Stadt was, and what it might do to her to be in the public eye while still grappling with her husband's mysterious death. Henry's secretary (although she prefers the term "Executive Assistant") Hattie was furious to see Henry and Eleanor's next date made the society pages of the New York Times, with the columnist talking Eleanor up as the "sophisticated, gorgeous, and independent woman," and decided that it was time for her plan to eliminate Eleanor to be kicked into high gear. Slowly becoming more comfortable in the gay scene, Rod worked behind the bar shirtless sometimes. On one of the nights that Christian went to Large Bar without Terrence, Rod spied Christian being social with strangers all around the bar, but in one of the conversations that Rod was able to overhear, Christian turned down a man's advances because he said he was seeing someone he was very serious about. Rod was surprised and wondered if he was wrong to question Christian's devotion to his father. Hattie found Eleanor stressed out over her dilemma about dating Henry Von Stadt and drowning her frustrations in liquor. Hattie cleverly manipulated Eleanor to drinking more, and fed Eleanor's insecurities about opening up to Henry. While getting a window into Eleanor's uncensored thoughts as Eleanor continued to get more drunk, Hattie formulated a plan of how to get rid of Eleanor and make it so Henry never wanted to see Eleanor again! With Christmastime approaching quickly, Terrence worked quickly to arrange a surprise for Christian. Over a romantic dinner, Terrence surprised Christian with a gift box. Curious, as December 25th was more than a week away, Christian tore into the present impatiently, and discovered it was a personalized Christmas tree ornament. Terrence explained that everyone in the Applewhite family has one of their own personalized ornaments, and it wouldn't have felt right to Terrence if their tree didn't hold an ornament for Christian. Overwhelmed to receive the token practically welcoming him as a part of the family, Christian became emotional and expressed his gratitude to Terrence for all that Terrence has added to Christian's life. James Baldwin invited his father's heart specialist, Dr. Julia Lawless to Christmas dinner at the Baldwin residence. Due to her own issues (with her wacky mother and bratty sister), Julia declined. James sulked, not wanting to have to settle for any of the other shallow hotties that have been hinting about wanting to spend the holidays with him. Theodore encouraged his son not to give up on Julia, admitting that once upon a time Theodore had to convince James's mother to finally give him a chance, and that worked out for the best, giving them two children together, Jenna and James. Aviva visited her colleague Theodore at his brownstone, to see how he was recovering from his heart attack and to find out when Theodore would be returning to teaching at Hunter College. Theodore looked forward to returning to work next semester. Aviva learned Theodore's son James would be dateless for Christmas, and offered to set James up with her sister Carina, who was also dateless. James agreed, for the simple chance to meet someone new. Rod and Fiona were eager to begin the Applewhites' yearly ceremony of trimming the family Christmas tree, and Terrence was all the more excited to share the ceremony with Christian. Rod and Fiona, for the sake of the holiday, kept mum about their reservations over their father's relationship, but couldn't stay silent when Terrence offered to not hang their mother Emma's personal ornament from the tree this year, for fear of offending Christian. Seeing how upset the notion made Terrence's offspring, Christian played it generously, and acknowledged that Emma was and is an important part of the Applewhite family, and he isn't threatened by reminders of her. The tree-trimming ceremony grew even more tense when Emma called while the family was hanging ornaments, and Christian was the one who answered the phone! Emma had an obvious bad reaction to learning about Christian, Terrence's new live-in lover, and Fiona jumped on the phone to try to calm her absentee mother. Emma got off the phone before speaking with Rod, so Rod had a renewed feeling of hostility over losing his mother. Terrence apologized for how he hurt Emma but didn't regret finally being true to himself and especially since it gave him the chance to meet Christian. "Absolutely not!" Carina refused to go on a blind date for Christmas. Not only did she not want the pity from her sister, who has never been dateless for a holiday in her life, but Carina also thought Christmas was way too big of a day to meet someone for the first time. Carina continued her protest by refusing to reinforce the stereotype that people need to have a date for the holidays, and was about to continue, but then realized that the alternative was spending the holiday with her sister. Carina admitted to herself that she'd rather spend the day with strangers, it had to be less nauseating than spending Christmas with her perfect sister. Jenna Baldwin invited her main squeeze, Shawn Marks, to Christmas dinner to meet her family for the first time. Jenna warned Shawn about her younger half-brother Thomas and their rivalrous history, and that he'd soon be working at VSI as an intern in January. Thomas, meanwhile, invited his girlfriend Rebecca Halperin to dinner. Rebecca told her mother Eleanor that she was flattered by the invitation, but didn't want to leave Eleanor alone on the first Christmas since dad's death. Eleanor was touched at Rebecca's thoughtfulness, but encouraged Rebecca to go to the Baldwin family Christmas. Eleanor preferred to be alone with her thoughts and her memories for Christmas this year. Theodore invited Aviva Reynoso over with her boyfriend Ramon, so that Carina wouldn't end up in a house full of strangers for the holidays. Aviva agreed to bring Ramon, and thought it would be fun to attend a big gathering for Christmas. Rachel Marks continued to settle in in New York City, and hoped to have a small Christmas dinner with her brother Shawn at a nice restaurant. Shawn, having already agreed to join Jenna and her family, asked if it would be okay to invite his sister along as well, since she had no other family in town for the holidays. Jenna, hoping to get to know Shawn and his family better, agreed, and Rachel was invited to the Baldwin Christmas as well. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Holiday episodes: Crystal joined the Applewhite family for Christmas and primarily had to focus on keeping Rod calm and in the holiday spirit, even though Rod's mind was on Christian and the fact he didn't know where his mother was staying during the holidays. Christmas dinner at the Baldwin brownstone began, and a gloomy James was encouraged to discover when Carina arrived that she was very pretty. Carina was relieved to find that at the very least, James was attractive. Aviva and Ramon arrived shortly thereafter, and Carina was upset that her attempt to avoid seeing her sister for the holidays backfired and she now had to deal with her perfect sister AND an awkward blind date for Christmas. Aviva and Ramon thanked Theodore for the invite and marveled at his new, beautifully decorated brownstone. Jenna took credit for the decorations and passed out business cards advertising her upcoming fashion label. Thomas welcomed Rebecca, and Jenna was catty with her, offering fashion and style advice, which Rebecca "obviously" needed. Shawn arrived with Rachel and Ramon was shocked to once again be faced with the woman with whom he cheated on his girlfriend Aviva. Rachel cleverly pretended to meet Ramon for the first time, and if not for the deviously sexy twinkle in Rachel's eye, Ramon himself might have believed they had never met before. Carina picked up on some odd tension between Ramon and Rachel over dinner, while Rachel became quite social and friendly with Aviva, and Ramon was quietly sweating it out. Over dinner, Shawn mentioned Thomas's upcoming internship at Von Stadt International and offered to take him under his wing. Thomas impressed and/or irritated the party (depending on who you ask) with in-depth business questions about VSI, ranging from the company's profit margin, employee turnover, and rate of expansion and growth. Shawn thinks Thomas would have a promising future considering how much Thomas already knows about business. Jenna and James were equal parts furious and nervous. After dessert, while everyone said their goodbyes, Carina noticed Rachel Marks laying a flirtatious hand on Ramon. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jenna called Shawn to thank him for coming to her family gathering for Christmas and apologized for her little brother Thomas's behavior. Shawn had to admit that Thomas really seemed to know his stuff when it came to business. Jenna agreed, which was why she wanted Shawn to promise to do whatever it takes to end Thomas's internship with VSI, hopefully before it even has a chance to begin. Not wanting to come off as overbearing, Jenna quickly changes the subject to making plans to party on New Years, but Shawn pulls back, telling her he needs to get some work done before the end of 2007. Hattie had bought herself a peculiar Christmas present -- a long, platinum blond wig. Hattie got a call from Eleanor, who was struggling during the holiday season as her feelings about her dead husband Charles and her new love interest Henry were wearing on her. Hattie told Eleanor to order a drink, and she'd be right over. Hattie met Eleanor at the Redeye and once Eleanor is sufficiently drunk, Hattie offers to give Eleanor a ride home from The Redeye. Leaving the bar with Eleanor, Hattie dumps Eleanor in the passenger seat of Eleanor's car, and Eleanor promptly passes out. Hattie gets in the driver's seat, and pulls the platinum blond wig from her purse. Putting the wig on and fixing it around her face, Hattie eyes herself in the rearview mirror and dials her cell phone, calling the police. Working herself up into a nervous rant, Hattie tells the police that she thinks her friend is driving drunk, and she isn't sure of the license plate number, only the color and type of car, and that she refused to take a cab home. At the hospital, as it neared the end of her shift, Carina noticed Ramon coming off the elevator. Rachel Marks tracked Ramon down on his EMT shift, and Carina was startled to learn that they knew each other better than either of them implied over Christmas dinner at the Baldwin home. Carina overheard Rachel tell Ramon how hot it was being so close and not being able to act on their desires. Before Ramon could resist her, Rachel shoved him into a hospital supply closet... which was also spied by Carina! Eleanor and Rod had brainstormed a big New Years Eve bash for Large Bar, which Rod was managing and Aurora Borealis was hosting. As all the gays gathered at Large Bar for the New Year festivities, the drinks flowed and true colors emerged. With Redeye closed for New Years Eve, Crystal was able to sneak over to Large Bar, hoping to snag a New Years Kiss from Rod. Shawn Marks showed up at Large Bar as well, to catch Aurora's performance of Auld Lang Syne, minutes before the ball was supposed to drop. Aurora spotted "Mark" (Shawn) in the crowd and followed him outside into the alley behind Large Bar. Snow was gently falling on this New Years Eve night. Carina lingered around while Rachel and Ramon savored their quickie in the closet, and it was obvious what they had been doing when they emerged from the closet adjusting their clothes. Ramon wiped Rachel's red lipstick from his mouth as he spotted Carina nearby. Before he could catch up with her, Carina's look of shock at what she witnessed turned into excited anticipation over what she might do with this information. Carina dashed into the hospital elevator, and Ramon ran after her to explain. Rachel realized that their affair might be exposed, but couldn't help but let a slick smile cross her makeup-smudged lips. Aurora noticed that "Mark" hadn't been to Aurora's last two performances. Aurora admitted to not enjoying to perform as much anymore, when she looks out into the audience and doesn't see "Mark" there. "Mark" opened up about expectations from the people in his life, and how hard it can sometimes be to live up to the expectations everyone has for you. Aurora could definitely identify, explaining that being a famous New York City drag queen didn't quite fit the expectations that Eddie Dawson's mother had for him. They shared a tense moment when Shawn faced a dose of reality, learning Aurora's real name. Feeling closer to Aurora, Shawn admitted that his name wasn't really "Mark," that he was really Shawn Marks. Their walls from the world temporarily torn down, Shawn and Aurora shared a passionate kiss, hot enough to make the snow melt at their feet. As the clock struck twelve at Large Bar, Crystal expected a passionate kiss from Rod, only for him to be more caught up in his father's New Years kiss with Christian! Crystal misses out on her own New Years kiss, and Rod breaks his champagne glass that he's holding as he watches the Terrence/Christian kiss. Hattie, in her Eleanor wig, drove Eleanor's car erratically, with Eleanor slumped down in the passenger seat passed out. Hattie was gleefully plotting to get Eleanor arrested for Driving Under Intoxication, hoping the press would attack Eleanor so much that Henry would be forced to distance himself from the grieving mess, Eleanor. Hattie's carefully laid out plan goes awry, when passing by the hospital, a woman dashed out into the street, in front of the car! Not seeing her at first, Hattie plowed into the young woman, and the woman tumbled entirely over the car, falling into a lifeless heap in the street as Hattie regained her own composure in the face of this twist. Ramon Valdez was horrified that his girlfriend's sister Carina was just run down by what looked like his former boss Eleanor's car! Bleeding from the nose and ear and completely unconscious, Carina was barely breathing and Ramon had to put his EMT training to good use to try to save her life... as the clock struck midnight, and January 1st, 2008 dawned. <<< Stay Tuned for scenes from the next Beyond the Horizon >>> Coming in January, on Beyond the Horizon: Hattie panics as she must figure out how to frame Eleanor for more than just drunk driving. Tiffany and Rolo are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Eleanor's family and friends are shocked to learn she was in a car accident. Hattie scrambles to cover her tracks. Hattie sets a dangerous plot against Eleanor in motion. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Carina hovers near death's door at the start of 2008. Aviva wants justice for her sister. An arrest is made in Carina's hit-and-run. Evan Royale is retained to defend the accused. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rod has a renewed suspicion of Christian when Terrence announces his next directorial project! Terrence asks Fiona if she believes he should trust Christian's feelings. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jenna holds a formal meet at VSI with Henry and Leo regarding her fashion label. Thomas and Rebecca's sexual tension grows. Thomas begins his internship at VSI, and ends up working closely with both Henry and Shawn. Dr. Julia Lawless has a surprising reaction to learning James spent Christmas with Carina Reynoso. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rachel refuses to release Ramon from her web. Aurora gets her hopes up after her New Years kiss with Shawn Marks. Shawn runs from the spotlight at Large Bar. Shawn fears that his life at Large Bar and his life at VSI are on a collision course.

November 2007 - Sweeps - Premiere Month -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <<< Opening Sequence Watch the Opening Sequence on YouTube! >>> Terrence Applewhite (Walt Willey), a famed theatre director/producer in his 50s, had already made one big leap in his life: coming out of the closet to his wife Emma and their two grown children, Rodney (Forbes March) and Fiona (Connie Fletcher). Emma didn't take it well and promptly abandoned the Applewhite family for parts unknown, devastated and humiliated that her husband of over 30 years was gay. Luckily, Rod and Fiona stuck by their father, recognizing how difficult his decision to come out must have been. In some ways, even though Emma had left, the Applewhite family was stronger than ever. But when Terrence found his first real love, he didn't expect it would come in the form of Christian Avery Field (David Evan Smith), who happened to be an aspiring actor in his mid-20s. Despite the age difference, love blossomed between the men, and within months, Terrence decided to ask Christian to move in with him. But first would come the difficult task of introducing Christian to Rod and Fiona... who both happened to be older than Terrence's lover. Terrence arranged an introductory dinner for the Applewhite family to meet Christian. Fiona, who interned at the law offices of Royale & Klein, postponed her dinner plans with new boyfriend Leo Von Stadt (Jeff Branson), in order to be home for her father's "big announcement." Rod didn't have much going on that evening, he was spending the afternoon rolling around in bed with his girlfriend since college, Crystal Halperin (Kerry Butler), and invited Crystal along when word came from Terrence that there would be a mandatory Applewhite family dinner that night. Crystal called her mother Eleanor Halperin (Catherine Hickland), to let her know that she wouldn't be able to work that night at The Redeye as hostess, and Rod wouldn't be able to tend bar, since there was a "super-important" family dinner at the Applewhites. Leo Von Stadt mentioned to his father, President and CEO of high-powered conglomerate Von Stadt International, Heinrich "Henry" Von Stadt (Sebastian Roché), that he would be dining with Fiona the next night, rather than that night. Henry couldn't believe his son's irresponsibility, given that he had a video conference call with the Olin Publishing Company the next night. Leo shrugged it off, preferring to delegate the call to VSI executive Shawn Marks (Tobias Truvillion). Henry reminded his son Leo that it most likely wasn't smart to let their business affiliates in every corner of the world know that Shawn Marks was more qualified for Leo's position than the Von Stadt heir himself. Leo fought back that having a girlfriend who works in a law office could come in very handy in the future, should any of his father's dirty secrets ever become public. Henry refused to back down, reassuring Leo that Henry makes sure that all of his secrets remain secrets. Their relationship was obviously tense. Shawn Marks, working late at VSI, got word that he would be handling the conference call the next night and quickly canceled plans with Jenna Baldwin (Kari Wuhrer), who he had met days earlier and intended to go clubbing with. Jenna was disappointed, but figured it was for the best -- she should be at the hospital, at her elderly father's bedside, as he recovered from his heart attack. Jenna's hunky brother James (Alec Musser) called her back to the hospital room, since their father Theodore Baldwin (John Ingle) was awake again. Aside from Jenna and James, their 19 year old half-brother Thomas (Bobby Steggert) was seated at Theodore's bedside. Jenna was glad her father's been getting his rest. Theodore couldn't get used to having all three of his children with him at one time... while he runs up a huge hospital bill. James assured him he'd have no problem paying it with his lottery winnings. Jenna marveled at how lucky her father was to be the only winner of a 350 million dollar jackpot. Theodore thought the greater purpose was that it brought his two wayward older children back home to him. Jenna and James revealed plans to move back in with him and encouraged him to think about buying a bigger home now that he could afford it. Thomas couldn't believe that his half-siblings were home for all of five minutes before they started plotting and planning how to spend their father's money. But Thomas was very defensive of his father Theodore. After all, it has just been the two of them for Thomas's entire life. Thomas never knew his mother or his older half-siblings. Dr. Julia Lawless (Melissa Archer) called the children out of Theodore's room to give his children a progress report, and James was instantly smitten. Thomas attentively listened as Julia gave them instructions about diet and exercise restrictions, while Jenna kind of fiddled with her frilly blouse, and James stared into Dr. Julia's big, beautiful... eyes. Thomas snatched the printout of the restrictions from Julia's hand and returned to his father's room, while Jenna stepped away to make a phone call and James tried to get Dr. Julia's phone number. Sensing James was an immature playboy and citing that she had no time in her busy schedule for something (and someone) so frivolous, Julia warned James that he shouldn't waste his time. Julia walked off, but it seemed from James's face that he welcomed a challenge. Julia returned to the nurses station of the hospital to look over other charts, and orderly Carina Reynoso (Natalia Livingston) delivered the third message from Julia's mother that week, asking Julia to call her back. Julia told Carina to let her mother know that Julia's transferred to another hospital, but isn't sure which one. Carina wished she had a mother as attentive as Julia's. Julia assured Carina that if Carina knew Julia's mother, she wouldn't be so quick to say that. Rod, Crystal, and Fiona curiously speculated what Terrence's big announcement was, that couldn't wait. Rod couldn't help but hope, in the back of his mind, that his mother Emma had come back home, since there was seating for five. It had been nearly a year since she'd left. Upon Christian's arrival to dinner at the Applewhites, Rod and Fiona had difficulty taking Terrence and Christian's relationship seriously. Rod was certain it was some kind of practical joke. Not only was Christian young enough to be Terrence's son, but he was an aspiring actor as well! Rod saw Christian as a young man determined to use Rod's father for all the money, fame, and power Terrence had to offer. Fiona, ever the family peacemaker, hoped to approach the situation with more of an open mind -- trust her father's heart and instinct -- and believe that even though there was an age difference, Terrence and Christian's relationship was based in love. But even Fiona had to admit that Rod was right... Christian definitely stood to gain a lot more from this "relationship" than Terrence did. Eleanor got her other bartender, Ramon Valdez (Kamar de los Reyes) to take Rod's shift at The Redeye that night, and Eleanor would fulfill hostessing duties herself. Eleanor was eager for anything that would take her mind off of her recently deceased husband. Eleanor had lived what she thought was an idyllic life with her husband Charles Halperin. One day, everything changed when word came that he had died in an automobile accident. Even more disturbing, however, was that all evidence pointed to the fact that Charles was in the process of leaving her and their two daughters for good when he perished. Charles's car was packed with his belongings and he was on his way out of town, without a word to his family, when fate stepped in and he was gone for good. Now Eleanor had to decide exactly where to go from here? Continue raising their daughters Crystal and Rebecca (Lindze Letherman) and running their two bars, The Redeye and Large Bar as if nothing had happened? How could Eleanor continue to mourn a husband who was apparently walking out on her when she had no idea there was anything wrong in their marriage? Theodore told Thomas to take a break from standing guard at his hospital bedside and go call his new girlfriend. Thomas asked if Theodore wanted him to hide his credit cards in case James and Jenna came back while he was gone. Theodore laughed and asked Thomas to cut his siblings some slack. Thomas doesn't know James and Jenna well, but Theodore is certain they came back home because they were concerned with his health, not because of the lottery winnings. Thomas marvels at how deeply his father loves. Thomas steps out to call his girlfriend Rebecca Halperin, who is relieved Thomas's father is going to pull through. Rebecca's trying hard to get her head together to prepare for her professor's pre-finals test in her Psychology course. Thomas just wanted to check in, so he gets off the phone so Becky can get back to her studies. Ramon called his younger brother Rolo Valdez (Ignacio Serricchio) and asked if he was bartending at Large Bar that night. Rolo was, and they made plans to meet up after their 1am shift ended. Ramon then called his girlfriend Aviva Reynoso (Christina Chambers), who was busy grading papers for her English Literature course she teaches at Hunter College, and invited her to keep him company on his surprise shift at The Redeye. Aviva thought that sounded nice and could use the relaxation that a drink after work would offer. Terrence was furious at Rod's jokes and assumptions about Christian, and asked that he be respectful. After all, they would have plenty of time to get to know each other, since Terrence has asked Christian to move in with them all! Rod immediately protested, believing it was too soon, and certain that Christian was seeking to be supported financially while still using Terrence to gain fame in the acting profession. Privately, Fiona worried as well that Terrence would end up getting his heart broken by his "first love." Aviva roped her younger sister Carina into drinks at The Redeye, since they hadn't seen each other since Labor Day. It was obvious that Carina hadn't missed seeing her sister and wasn't eager to spend the evening watching Aviva coo across the bar at her boyfriend. Aviva didn't take "no" for an answer before hanging up. Carina reluctantly joined her sister, who was dying to know what's been going on in her life since they last saw each other, but Carina had to admit that not one thing in her life had changed or gotten interesting since Labor Day. Everything was exactly, monotonously the same. Aviva's unrelenting cheer didn't help matters, since everything was blissfully perfect in her life. Aviva was a successful, bright, beautiful, well-respected college professor, while Carina was a virtual unknown, faceless orderly in a sea of doctors and nurses at the hospital. Christian moved in on the one year anniversary of when Emma Bailey Applewhite abandoned the family. The coincidence shook Rod and Fiona, and Terrence apologized that Christian ended up moving in on such a sensitive day. Thomas Baldwin returned home to find his greedy half-siblings Jenna and James going through their father's clothing and throwing out whatever they deemed "expendable". Thomas saw his half-siblings as nothing more than money-hungry jackals only out for themselves. This was further proven when, upon their father Theodore's release from the hospital, he revealed that Jenna and James had convinced him to buy a three-floor brownstone for them all to live in, moving out of the small apartment where Thomas had lived with his father for most of his life. Thomas thought Jenna and James needed to get their own places with their own money! Jenna and James agreed that Thomas played concerned for their father, but is only cleverly trying to protect his own inheritance. Jenna tried to appeal to Thomas, swearing they didn't want to spend their father's money, only help him enjoy it. Thomas didn't quite believe his half-sister. Jenna, meanwhile, continued to expand her wardrobe with her father's money, and James decided to buy a hot new car! Christian couldn't bear another night of staying home and dragged Terrence out to a night at Large Bar, the local gay bar with no attitude and plenty of fun, eventful nights (also owned and run by Eleanor Halperin). Terrence had never been much for bars, and wasn't feeling up to going out. Christian intuitively wondered if Terrence was insecure about going out in public with him. Terrence assured Christian that he wasn't ashamed of him at all, and loved him completely. Christian didn't think Terrence was ashamed of him, he thought Terrence might look like a foolish old man going out with young Christian. Terrence admitted that maybe he wasn't so eager to receive the stares from those judgmental gays about their age difference. Christian thought it was all the more reason to go out and show them that love can happen at any age between any two people. Terrence was won over by Christian's free spirit, and agreed to go out. Shawn Marks handled the VSI conference call with the Olin Publishing company masterfully, and decided to celebrate by going for a late night drink -- at Large Bar?! Shawn sat in a dark corner and ordered a martini, while others like Christian and Terrence took seats near the stage for that night's drag show. Aurora Borealis (Jeffrey Carlson) was the biggest attraction at Large Bar. The Canadian-born drag queen did musical numbers, comedy, hosted the weekly karaoke night, and usually had a talent for getting boys to come up on stage and strip out of their clothes! That night, Aurora performed "Fever" to the crowd, who loved every second. Shawn Marks was definitely entertained by Aurora's act, and made plans to see it again. Eleanor Halperin always made sure to catch her biggest entertainment attraction Aurora's act, and while Aurora always did lift Eleanor's spirits, Eleanor was starting to drink more and more during the nights she was working at her bars. Hattie Wilson (Kate Collins) impressed Henry Von Stadt in an interview, and was hired as his secretary at Von Stadt International. Hattie was thrilled to be working for one of the most influential international businessmen of our time! Hattie couldn't wait to share the news with her daughters. Hattie returned to her small studio apartment to share the news with younger daughter, Tiffany Lawless (Ambyr Childers), and then dragged her to the hospital to tell older daughter Dr. Julia, that not only have they moved to NYC permanently, but Hattie is finally making steps to get herself together, by landing a job as secretary to Henry Von Stadt at VSI! Julia was shocked to see her mother and sister show up at the hospital, and contemplated leaving town to avoid getting sucked into her mother's drama again. After chatting with friend Carina, Julia realized she worked too hard to establish her life in NYC, and decided instead just to freeze her mother out. Another person Julia didn't particularly care to see was James Baldwin, who was still frequenting the hospital even though his father had already been discharged. James was more and more attracted to Julia the more Julia refused to go on a date with him. James certainly loved a challenge, but Julia had seen men like him before, coasting on their looks and charm with ultimately no direction or maturity. "So you'd only be willing to date me if I had no looks or charm?" James smiled... Julia's cold exterior cracked ever-so-slightly. James promised he had substance, but Julia continued to brush him off. Thomas confided in his girlfriend, Rebecca Halperin, in between classes at Hunter College. Rebecca always had smart and strategic answers for Thomas when it came to dealing with his half-siblings. Thomas and Rebecca felt close the minute they met, and only grew closer when Rebecca's father was found dead and Thomas's father suffered a heart attack soon after. Thomas and Rebecca's connection was cemented by the reality of their fathers' mortality. It was coming time in their relationship that they'd be thinking about sex. They had been dating for two months, and that was longer than anyone usually waited to have sex at their age. But being that Rebecca's mother Eleanor was urging her not to give herself as freely to a man as she did, Rebecca wondered if sleeping with Thomas would mean he'd lose interest in her. Everything changed for Rebecca when she met Tiffany Lawless, a new transfer student to Hunter College. Tiffany just moved to NYC, but seemed the perfect fit for the city. Tiffany was more open with her sexuality than anyone Rebecca had ever met. Rebecca was equal parts intrigued by Tiffany and jealous of her, since Rebecca wasn't nearly as experienced. Chatting about boys after class, Tiffany thought Thomas looked like he'd be a tender and sensitive lover. Rebecca lied that he was the most sensitive and sensual lover she'd ever had. What Rebecca didn't anticipate was that rumors got back to Thomas that he was a sensual lover, and wondered why Rebecca would have lied that they slept together when they hadn't. If sex wasn't in the forefront of their minds before, the thought was sure hanging heavy over their relationship now. Thomas urged his father to put all his money in a trust (establishing a will) with stipulations, hoping it would stop Jenna and James from spending it through. Theodore wasn't sure that was necessary. While Thomas took an afternoon to consult with Fiona Applewhite at the Royale & Klein law firm about Theodore's money, Jenna and James decided to take a different route, asking for loans to start businesses and access their father's money that way. It would sort of force Theodore to invest in his children in the long run. Hattie developed a bit of a fixation on her handsome and charming boss, Henry Von Stadt. He was just as amazing and charismatic as the press always portrayed him to be, besides being dashing and obscenely wealthy! Hattie was away from her desk when Eleanor arrived at Von Stadt International to clean out her husband's old office. Eleanor let herself into Charles's office and broke down in tears over a picture of herself on her husband's desk. President and CEO Henry arrived to meet Eleanor, and offered his condolences to the emotional widow. Henry offered to buy Eleanor dinner sometime, in case Eleanor ever wanted to talk. Eleanor agreed that sounded nice. Hattie definitely didn't agree, when Henry told Hattie to call Eleanor to schedule an intimate dinner at an expensive french restaurant. Rod decided that the only way to be certain about Christian's intentions toward Rod's father was to hire a private investigator. Rod found the best in the business, fiercely determined Private Investigator Rachel Marks (Sherri Saum), and hired her to investigate exactly where Christian Avery Field came from. Rachel ran a background check on Christian and learned he had been shuffled through several adoption agencies and foster homes throughout the years, until he was 18, and his adoption records were sealed. Rod was intrigued by this information and immediately believed Christian had something to hide. Rod connected Rachel to his sister Fiona, hoping Fiona could use some connections at the Royale & Klein law offices to open up Christian's sealed adoption records. Fortunately, Fiona is a talented performer as well, and one well placed phone call managed to open up just what information Rod wanted to know. Eleanor met Henry for dinner and Henry offered his sincerest condolences. Henry spoke highly of Charles Halperin and said he would have a difficult time replacing him. Eleanor, drinking champagne too quickly, misinterpreted that Henry was trying to replace him in Eleanor's life, but Henry clarified that he meant replacing Charles at VSI. Eleanor was embarrassed and apologized... she has had a little too much champagne and Henry is very intimidating. Henry was taken aback by being called intimidating and wondered where anyone got the notion that he didn't go home after work and watch Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune like everyone else. "Would that be on your home theater system with full-size projection screen?" Eleanor teased. Henry said if she was really curious about how he lived, he would be willing to give her the full tour of his home sometime. The champagne and candlelight continued to go to Eleanor's head and she fell victim to her own vulnerabilities. Eleanor broke down, admitting that Charles appeared to be abandoning her and their children when his body was found, and Eleanor wasn't sure whether she should be heartbroken, or embarrassed, or devastated or angry. Henry advised her not to think about how she SHOULD be feeling, and just allow whatever feeling that comes. In a weak moment, Eleanor fell into a kiss with Henry that turned passionate. Immediately regretting the kiss, Eleanor fled the dinner date and ran home, pouring herself a glass of scotch when she got there. Thomas was outraged when he learned from his father that Jenna and James were taking loans to start businesses and Thomas knew what his half-siblings were up to immediately. Thomas tried to stop Theodore, but Theodore liked each proposal and decided to invest. Jenna would be using the investment to design and launch her own clothing line, while James plans to open an auto body repair shop in downtown Manhattan. Rachel informed Rod that Christian was placed with the Fields at 13 years old and spent three years as their foster son. As soon as the formal adoption went through, the Fields died in a mysterious auto accident. Rod jumped to the conclusion that Christian was waiting until he was a viable heir to whatever money they might have had, and somehow killed them! Henry Von Stadt had secretary Hattie continue to call Eleanor... but little did Henry know that Hattie was only pretending to call. Hattie was certain that whoever this Eleanor is, she's not worthy of a man of Henry's influence. Since Hattie's already proven she had a place in Henry's world, it's Hattie that Henry was destined to fall in love with. Eleanor called VSI to apologize to Henry for her behavior, but Hattie told Eleanor that Henry was not taking personal calls. Eleanor realized she made a mess of herself again, and poured another drink. Jenna began spending her father's "investment" on the most expensive materials and a down-payment on a pricey loft in a New York City skyscraper, while James took a chunk of the investment and nabbed a hot, spacious property way down on the Lower East Side for his repair shop. Thomas sat his father down for a heart to heart and finally got Theodore to agree to drawing up contracts to make his investments "official" and protect Theodore's interest and ensure a return on his investment. Theodore agreed, to appease Thomas, and Thomas was relieved. James used some of his seed money to grow another opportunity -- his potential date with Dr. Julia Lawless. James rented out an expensive rooftop restaurant for the sole purpose of wooing Julia, but while Julia was a little impressed that someone would go to the trouble for her, Julia hid her feelings well. Julia challenged James at every turn, from his choice of attire to his choice of champagne, but it only attracted James more. James tried to prove he had direction by telling Julia of the new auto body repair business he was going to open up. Tiffany Lawless told her mother Hattie about her new friend Rebecca Halperin. Tiffany boasted that Rebecca's mother Eleanor owns and runs two of her own bar/restaurants. Hattie realizes that this Eleanor is the same one Henry was trying to date, and Hattie takes it upon herself to "befriend" Eleanor. Hattie showed up on Eleanor's doorstep to introduce herself as Tiffany's mother. Eleanor hadn't even heard of Tiffany before, but Hattie didn't allow that to get in the way. Hattie struck up conversation about how their daughters don't confide in them anymore, since they're all grown up going to college. Eleanor, just happy to have a sensitive ear to talk to, opens up to Hattie about her recently deceased husband, and wonders if that's why her daughter Rebecca isn't sharing as many details about her life anymore. Hattie latches on to this information and turns the conversation toward how difficult it is to lose a husband and father, and it will only get worse as the issue arises about whether Eleanor should start dating again. Eleanor confesses that her husband's boss, Henry Von Stadt, recently took her to dinner and she made a fool of herself. Hattie tells Eleanor it's too soon for Eleanor to start dating and urges Eleanor to ignore any overtures from Henry and focus on Eleanor's own healing right now. Eleanor takes Hattie's advice to heart. Shawn Marks was surprised to be visited at his office at VSI by his big sister, Rachel Marks! Rachel stunned Shawn with the news that she was in NY on an investigation, and she decided to move to NY! Rachel needed a place to stay while she looked for her own place, so she asked to crash with Shawn. Shawn grew nervous about having his sister stay with him, since she never knew that he liked to hang out at "certain" kinds of bars, and she was an ace private investigator... how long before she figured out his secret? Seeing no way to turn her down, Shawn agreed to let Rachel stay with him until she found a place, but knew that keeping his secret life a secret just got a lot more complicated. Certain he would never graduate college, Rolo contemplates dropping out to work full time. Rolo then met new transfer Tiffany Lawless, and when they were partnered on an assignment together in class, Rolo decided to postpone his plans to drop out. Soon after, Hattie dragged Tiffany with her to receive a tour of the Von Stadts' home, and Tiffany was bored out of her mind until she came upon Rolo, who she learned had a weekend job as the Von Stadt landscaper. Turned on by watching Rolo work on the garden patio shirtless, Tiffany seduced him and they had sex right there on the Von Stadts' garden patio while her mother was elsewhere getting the grand tour! Tiffany later told gal pal Rebecca of her hot encounter with Rolo, and Rebecca couldn't believe the kind of stuff Tiffany had no hesitation about doing! Rolo received another failing grade on a test in Aviva's class, and Tiffany decided to boost his spirits after class by sexing him up right there on Aviva's desk! Rolo and Tiffany apparently couldn't get enough of each other! Shawn Marks attended the same show by Aurora Borealis the following week, and Aurora couldn't help but notice the handsome Shawn in the audience this time. After the show, Aurora joined Shawn at his table in the darkest corner of the bar, and wanted to know his story. Shawn lies that his name is "Mark" and he just likes good solid entertainment. Aurora is flattered. "Mark" admires how comfortable Aurora is on stage, in her own skin. It took Aurora a lot of time to get that comfortable, Aurora admitted. Aurora had a lot to sort out before realizing that the only way to live life was out loud. "Mark" told Aurora to keep doing what she was doing... and "Mark" would be right there to see it, every time. Aurora makes "Mark" promise to be at her next show. Ramon and Aviva's relationship remained harmonious until Rolo got his grades back from Aviva's class. Rolo had failed! Ramon was furious and defended his brother to Aviva, arguing that Rolo works long hours at Large Bar and can't always work to his potential because he's tired. Ramon and Aviva don't see eye to eye and Aviva thinks Rolo needs to reprioritize if he's at all concerned with his future. Their argument sends Ramon for a drink at The Redeye. Brooding Ramon catches a sexy Rachel Marks's eye. Rachel makes conversation while also making it painfully obvious that she finds Ramon attractive. Dirty girl that Rachel is, she is eager to find out how good he is in bed! Drunk, Ramon tells Rachel he has a girlfriend, but Rachel doesn't care about all that, and takes a fairly willing Ramon back to her place, and they have a scorching hot night together. Ramon is actually left with a few scratches and bruises! Ramon snuck out of Rachel's place while she was still sleeping, with no intention of calling her ever again. Guilt-ridden, Ramon tries to put the night behind him and lies to Aviva that the marks left on his body are from breaking up a fight at the bar the night before. Somehow, Rachel isn't so easy to get out of his mind. Still racked with guilt, and starting to fantasize about Rachel, Ramon is driven to side with Aviva about Rolo's poor grades, and Rolo is furious that his brother chose his girlfriend's side over his. Thomas invited Rebecca to Thanksgiving dinner at the Baldwin family brownstone to meet his father. Rebecca had known him from around the halls at Hunter College, but never formally met him. Thomas was sure that Jenna and James weren't the type to attend a family dinner for the holidays, so Thomas figured it would be a nice intimate setting to introduce Rebecca to his father. Surprisigly, Jenna and James took charge of Thanksgiving dinner and organized an elaborate feast at their new family brownstone. Theodore then surprised Jenna and James with the legal contracts over Thanksgiving dinner. Jenna and James reluctantly signed the contracts, in order to appear legitimate about the business loans. Jenna knew that she and James won the battle, but to win the war... they would need to shake Theodore's trust in Thomas. After dinner, Rebecca and Thomas went to Thomas's mini-apartment in the basement and talked about why Rebecca lied to her friend that they had had sex already, and Rebecca admitted that she felt she was missing out. Rebecca confessed she was a virgin. Thomas admitted that he was as well. Rebecca and Thomas began to make love, but fell off the bed! Thomas bumped his head against the headboard and Rebecca's hair got caught in her own necklace. Thomas and Rebecca broke out in laughter, and figured maybe they should wait a little while longer before taking the next step, and they quietly fell asleep in each other's arms. Rod took the initiative to plan the Applewhite family's Thanksgiving dinner and did his best to make Christian feel welcome for his first Applewhite family holiday. Rod invited Crystal, and once Crystal learned Rebecca was dining with the Baldwin family, Crystal invited her mother Eleanor to the Applewhite Thanksgiving. Christian shared his hopes with Terrence that his children might end up accepting their relationship after all. Halfway through Thanksgiving dinner, Rod begins asking probing questions about Christian's family, which Christian's not too forthcoming about. Christian will only share that he didn't have the most ideal childhood and wants to focus on the family he's been welcomed into now. Terrence intervenes and asks that Rod respect Christian's privacy. Rod wished he could, but wouldn't be comfortable not letting Terrence know that Christian's adoptive parents were mysteriously killed in a car crash. Christian was obviously affected by the reveal, but puts Rod in his place. Christian revealed that being formally adopted by the Fields was the happiest day of his life, and that's the day he chose to come out of the closet to his new parents. Unfortunately, the Fields were so unprepared for the news that they lost control of the car and were tragically killed. The day Christian felt closest to his family, the day he felt like he was a part of someone's life, he lost them. He was to blame, but it wasn't murder. Terrence revealed that he knew about the Fields' deaths already, and was so hurt that Rod would go to such lengths to try to force Christian out of his life, when Rod knew how happy Christian made him. Crystal and Eleanor were horrified that Rod chose Thanksgiving dinner to make a spectacle of his father's lover. Rod felt remorse for what he had done because Christian's story seemed genuine, but still didn't quite trust Christian's motives with Terrence. Terrence issued Rod an ultimatum -- Either accept Terrence and Christian's relationship or move out! Rod was shocked at his father's ultimatum, and even more shocked when Christian stepped in to call a truce. Christian knew that Terrence's children would have a tough time accepting the relationship and didn't want Terrence to be forced to choose between love and family. Christian offered to move out, but Terrence wouldn't hear of it. Terrence held Christian up as an example of selfless love, versus Rod's display of selfish love. Terrence forced Rod to agree to try harder to accept Christian, while Christian promised to prove to Rod and Fiona that he was worthy of Terrence's love. Jenna Baldwin met with Shawn Marks for drinks at The Redeye and asked his help in establishing a design label for herself. Jenna hoped Von Stadt International would be interested in backing the label and helping with distribution. Shawn saw potential in Jenna, and agreed to put his all into helping her dreams come true. Jenna and Shawn went clubbing afterwards, and Jenna didn't know how to thank him for all that he had to offer... so she took him to bed. Henry confesses to his son Leo that he feared he lost his opportunity with Eleanor Halperin because Hattie hasn't been able to schedule a new date. Leo relished in the opportunity to remind his father how important Eleanor might be to keeping their secret. Leo urged his father to take more personal initiative and pursue Eleanor more directly -- rather than having his secretary keep calling. Henry saw his son's point and made an effort with Eleanor which paid off. Eleanor agreed to attend a night at the opera with Henry that Friday. When Henry told Hattie to cancel his appointments for Friday because he had a date, Hattie had to work quickly to intercept and derail Henry and Eleanor's evening. Hattie runs out on her lunch break to buy an audio tape of Henry's favorite opera. Hattie "innocently" called her pal Eleanor, who was already second-guessing her decision to go on another date with Henry. Hattie advised Eleanor to stand Henry up, because it's still too soon after Eleanor's husband's death, and this man was obviously not respecting Eleanor's need for space. Eleanor struggles with the decision but ends up standing Henry up. Hattie arrived at the opera dressed to impress and delivered a message to Henry that Eleanor changed her mind. Henry told Hattie she might as well stay when he realized how much she loved that opera (little did he know she had only bought the tape of it two days earlier to train herself to be a fan!) Hattie impressed Henry with her knowledge of his favorite opera. Hattie's scheme backfired during the intermission when Eleanor arrived! Eleanor had changed her mind again, and apologized to Henry for almost not showing up. Henry was glad that Eleanor came, and Hattie was forced to sneak away so Eleanor didn't see her. Hattie was furious that her date with Henry was cut short, and realized she needed to take more drastic measures to end Eleanor and Henry's flirtation. Leo called his father after the opera to check on how the date went. Henry revealed the date almost didn't happen, and if he can't get Eleanor under his thumb -- and soon -- the truth about her husband's death could ruin them. <<< Stay Tuned for scenes from the next Beyond the Horizon >>> Coming in December, on Beyond the Horizon: Evan Royale (Ian Buchanan) reads Charles Halperin's will, and it alters the lives of all the Halperin women. Crystal's inheritance makes her reflect on the value of her life. Hattie tries to push daughter Julia off onto Leo Von Stadt. Hattie sees red when the press raves about Henry Von Stadt's gorgeous and sophisticated date Eleanor. Hattie sets a dangerous plot against Eleanor in motion. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shawn Marks begins to realize how valuable he is to VSI. Rachel catches little brother Shawn at Large Bar! Shawn becomes further wrapped up in Jenna Baldwin's life. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Carina gets an eyeful at Christmas dinner... and afterward. Ramon sweats it out over Christmas dinner that he's sharing with Aviva AND Rachel... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Christian and Rod have a steamy encounter in the shower! Rod goes to great lengths to keep an eye on Christian. Christmas turns out to be a sensitive time for the Applewhite family. Emma phones her family for the holidays, and Christian answers the phone call! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- James lands a spot for his new auto body shop. Jenna's plans to go to VSI for support of her new fashion label hit a snag when she learns Thomas will be interning at VSI starting in January. The Baldwins share a tense Christmas dinner with several colleagues and friends.

2007 - November (Sweeps) - Series Premiere -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <<< Beyond the Horizon's debut episode is brought you with limited commercial interruption, thanks to sponsorship by XES Lounge! >>> "I'll be damned if I'm going to lose you... and I will do whatever it takes to make sure that won't happen," said a young, 20-something, dark, long-haired man to the beautiful ingenue. "And... scene!" said the 50-something director, calling the rehearsal to a close for the day. The long-haired actor and his scene partner departed the stage and the actor, Christian (David Evan Smith), met up with the director, Terrence (Walt Willey). Terrence complimented the scene, citing that he definitely felt the love shining through. Christian said it was easy to express love, since the man who taught him what love really meant was sitting in the director's chair. Terrence and Christian, despite their age difference, appeared to be blissfully in love. Terrence took a break to call Fiona at her law office internship, and she struggled with an armful of case files as she held her cell between her ear and her shoulder. "Your presence is requested at dinner tonight, no excuses," Terrence demanded of Fiona (Connie Fletcher), the red-haired woman in her late 20s. Fiona could never say no to her father, so she agreed to postpone her dinner plans with the new man she'd been seeing, Leo. "And round up your brother too!" Terrence demanded, smiling. Fiona dropped her case files and decided to text, rather than call her brother Rod (Forbes March). "Dinner 2nite at 9 with Dad... apparently he's got some kind of big announcement." Reaching over his lover, Crystal (Kerry Butler), Rod grabs his phone to read his text from his little sister. Rod was less than thrilled, since the last big announcement his father made was last year -- that he was gay -- which caused his wife/their mother Emma to divorce Terrence and abandon the family, never to be seen again. Attempting optimism, Crystal tried to reassure Rod, "At least whatever his new announcement is couldn't be nearly as earth-shaking." Refusing to give it much more thought, "I'll show you earth-shaking!" Rod smirked, tossing his phone and taking Crystal back into his arms. <<< Opening Sequence Watch the Opening Sequence on YouTube! >>> "Can't make it 2nite, reschedule 4 2morrow?" Fiona's text to Leo Von Stadt (Jeff Branson) read. "Sure, see you tomorrow" Leo texted back from his desk at VS (for "Von Stadt") International, the high-powered conglomerate. Leo mentioned to his father, President and CEO of VSI, Henry (Sebastian Roché), that he was dining with Fiona tomorrow instead of tonight. "You know you have the video conference call tomorrow night with the Olin Publishing company from Korea. Why would you be so foolish as to schedule a dinner date when your focus should be on work tomorrow?" Henry lectured. Leo told his father to just give the conference call to Shawn Marks, who is more than qualified. "Do you want our associates from every corner of the world to know how much more qualified Marks is than you are when it comes to these things? I'm trying to groom YOU to take over the company when I'm too old and frail to run it anymore, not Marks. Get your focus back, son." Leo continued growing more heated, but calmly reminded his father that dating Fiona might come in handy for both of them someday. Shawn Marks (Tobias Truvillion), the handsome executive in his office at VSI, receives an E-Mail that he will be expected on a video conference call tomorrow night from 9pm-11pm with the Olin Publishing company discussing VSI's agenda in the buyout. Shawn seems excited to be thrown this conference call, and promptly calls his girlfriend, Jenna Baldwin (Kari Wuhrer) to cancel their date for the club. Jenna is disappointed, but realizes it's probably for the best... she should stay at the hospital and tend to her elderly father Theodore (John Ingle), recovering from his heart attack. "Dad's awake again," said Jenna's hunky brother James (Alec Musser) from the doorway of their father's hospital room. Jenna gets off the phone to rejoin her siblings at Theodore's side. Aside from Jenna and James, their 19 year old half-brother Thomas (Bobby Steggert) is seated at Theodore's bedside. Jenna was glad her father's been getting his rest. Theodore couldn't get used to having all three of his children with him at one time... while he runs up a huge hospital bill. James assured him he'd have no problem paying it with his lottery winnings. Jenna marveled at how lucky her father was to be the only winner of a 350 million dollar jackpot. Theodore thought the greater purpose was that it brought his two wayward older children back home to him. Jenna and James revealed plans to move back in with him and encouraged him to think about buying a bigger home now that he could afford it. Thomas angrily lashed out, "is this all you can talk about... this freaking money? What about Dad's diet, his exercise routine... which is probably too strenuous for him at his age??" Theodore excused James and Jenna's talk of the lottery winnings explaining that they weren't around for a long while, and it's natural for them to be caught up in the big events like winning the lottery. Thomas feels that the heart attack is a bigger, more important event than the money. It was clear that Thomas didn't see eye-to-eye with his older half-siblings. Dr. Julia Lawless (Melissa Archer) called the children out of Theodore's room to give his children a progress report, and James was instantly smitten. Thomas attentively listened as Julia gave them instructions about diet and exercise restrictions, while Jenna kind of fiddled with her frilly blouse, and James stared into Dr. Julia's big, beautiful... eyes. Thomas snatched the printout of the restrictions from Julia's hand and returned to his father's room, while Jenna stepped away to make a phone call and James tried to get Dr. Julia's phone number. Sensing James was an immature playboy and citing that she had no time in her busy schedule for something (and someone) so frivolous, Julia warned James that he shouldn't waste his time. Julia walked off, but it seemed from James's face that he welcomed a challenge. Julia returned to the nurses station of the hospital to look over other charts, and orderly Carina Reynoso (Natalia Livingston) delivered the third message from Julia's mother that week, asking Julia to call her back. Julia told Carina to let her mother know that Julia's transferred to another hospital, but isn't sure which one. Carina wished she had a mother as attentive as Julia's. Julia assured Carina that if Carina knew Julia's mother, she wouldn't be so quick to say that. Theodore told Thomas to take a break from standing guard and go call his new girlfriend. Thomas asked if Theodore wanted him to hide his credit cards in case James and Jenna came back while he was gone. Theodore laughed and asked Thomas to cut his siblings some slack. Thomas doesn't know James and Jenna well, but Theodore is certain they came back home because they were concerned with his health, not because of the lottery winnings. Thomas marvels at how deeply his father loves. Thomas steps out to call his girlfriend Rebecca (Lindze Letherman) who is relieved Thomas's father is going to pull through. Rebecca's trying hard to get her head together to prepare for her professor's pre-finals test in her Psychology course. Thomas just wanted to check in, so he gets off the phone so Becky can get back to her studies. Becky's mother Eleanor (Catherine Hickland) wanted to check in as well. Eleanor sat on the bed and asked if they could swap roles for a minute. Eleanor opened up to her daughter about missing her husband too much. Eleanor just had no idea how something as tragic as his death could have occurred. Rebecca consoled her mother, and warned her that they'd never know how he died or why he'd packed the car with his belongings and appeared to be leaving for good when he drove off the road over the embankment. "I just hate the idea that the last thing your father was trying to do was abandon me... abandon all of us," Eleanor cried. "Rod and I can't make work tonight, Mom... super-important dinner with Mr. Applewhite," Crystal texted her mother Eleanor, who tried to compose herself and used Crystal's text to distract her from her vulnerable state. Eleanor compartmentalized and strategized her way into finding bar coverage for her nightclub since her oldest, Crystal, and bartender Rod, wouldn't be able to make it for work. Eleanor called Ramon Valdez (Kamar de los Reyes) and told him he needed to take over bartending duties at The Redeye that night. Ramon was upset by the short notice, but didn't allow Eleanor to know about it, and "happily" took the shift. Ramon called his younger brother Rolo (Ignacio Serricchio) and asked if he was bartending at Large Bar that night. Rolo was, and they made plans to meet up after their 1am shift ended. Ramon then called his girlfriend Aviva Reynoso (Christina Chambers), who was busy grading papers for her English Literature course she teaches at Hunter College, and invited her to keep him company on his surprise shift at The Redeye. Aviva thought that sounded nice and could use the relaxation that a drink after work would offer. Rod and Crystal arrive amorously at the dining room of the Applewhite brownstone. The dining room is decorated for an elaborate dinner, with seating for five. Rod immediately notices how many seats compared to who he knows was invited. "Looks like your father has a very big announcement," Crystal says, from the look of things in the room. She notices a hopeful look in his eye, that is quickly dashed. Crystal asks him about it, and after some reluctance, he admits that he thought maybe his mother had decided to come back. Rod doubted that his parents would ever get back together, but Rod wished his mother hadn't left town the way she did. Fiona arrives, echoing the sentiments that it's not likely the extra seat was for their mother. Fiona greets her brother's girlfriend sweetly. Terrence arrives suddenly and tells them all will be explained shortly, and to get comfortable. The four of them sit, Terrence at the head of the table, Fiona at his right, Rod next to her, and Crystal across the table from Rod... for the best view into his eyes by the candlelight, of course. Terrence was glad to have both of his children together for once and wished it happened more often in everyone's busy lives. Terrence was also happy to see Crystal, as always. As the first course of the meal arrives, Rod impatiently wants to know what inspired his father to call this family dinner to order... <<< Beyond the Horizon will continue in a moment. See this commercial for the great new soap opera, Forever Tonight! And now back to Beyond the Horizon >>> "Why do I have the feeling this will be as big or bigger than your last announcement over dinner?!" Rod speculated. Terrence admitted to his son that the reason behind tonight's dinner was related. Terrence thanked Rod and Fiona for being supportive of him when he came to terms with who he was and decided to live his life for himself. Terrence knew it could have gone an entirely different way and he could have lost everyone that he loved. The fact that Rod and Fiona stuck by him proves that they love him and want to see him happy. Rod's still skeptical, "So where are you going with this, Dad?" Terrence smiles at his son's nervousness, and meets that with nervousness of his own. "Well, son... and Fiona... and Crystal too..." Terrence doesn't know how to say it, "... I've met someone." Terrence studies his children's expressions, and Crystal pays close attention to Rod's, concerned for how he might take it. Fiona and Rod's eyes can't help but grow wide with surprise. Carina is returning to the nurses station at the hospital to answer the phone. "Just who I was calling for!" Aviva Reynoso cheerfully greets her younger sister. Carina seems less than excited to hear from Aviva, "Oh hey. What's up." Aviva confirms that Carina is off her shift soon, and then invites her to join her for drinks at the Redeye. "Ramon ended up working tonight and invited me, so it'd be a chance to catch up with my gorgeous little sister." Carina's mood doesn't lighten, "Hm, a whole evening across the table from my sister while she stares doe-eyed at her boyfriend over the bar. That sounds so FUN!" Carina's voice is heavy with sarcasm. Aviva's cheer is unflappable on the other end of the phone. "Come on, it's decided... you're coming! I want to hear what's going on with you!" Aviva hangs up her phone, smiling. Carina, thrilled with the decision just made for her, lets the phone dangle in her hand until it falls into the receiver. "Splendid. Can't wait," Carina tells herself. At The Redeye, Aviva settles into her barstool and Eleanor tells her Ramon isn't in for a few minutes. Eleanor asks how her daughter Rebecca is doing in Aviva's English Literature class at Hunter College. Aviva tells her Rebecca's one of her most promising students! Insightful and clever, and fantastic at putting her thoughts on paper. Aviva asks how Eleanor is doing. Aviva knows that Rebecca took her father's death very hard, and Aviva can't imagine what Eleanor must be going through. "Well it's just one day at a time, you know? I have to go through each day and remind myself not to call him to add something to the grocery list. It's hard to think that I'm now the only person that our children have to look up to now. My husband was always a little more together about life than I am. Smart about people, better at reading them than I ever was. I always trust people until I have a reason not to... and that's been a mistake before, but it never was when it came to trusting him. At least... while he was alive. Now that he's gone, I don't know if I ever knew him at all." Thomas returned to his father's home to find James laying on their father's bed and Jenna going through their father's closet. "What the hell are you two doing in here? Get out!" Thomas lashes out at his older half-siblings. Without their father around to see, Jenna and James are far less concerned with being nice to Thomas. "Oh run along and play, little Tommy, don't worry about us," Jenna smirks at him dismissively as she continues to rifle through their father's closet. "What are you doing?" Thomas demands to know. "I'm picking out a handsome outfit to bring Daddy home in," Jenna explained. Thomas reveals that his father wants his track suit, "the comfortable one that he always wears on the weekend," Thomas states, determined to prove he knows their father better than his half-siblings do. "You mean that hideous navy blue velour monstrosity? I threw that away, it was full of holes and barely being held together by the laws of physics." Thomas is outraged that Jenna threw away their father's favorite tracksuit. Jenna off-handedly promises to buy him a new one, a nicer one, and with much better craftsmanship. "With his money, that's so generous of you," Thomas snipes. "Hey, don't you have some porn to watch on your computer or homework or something?" James interjects, tossing a small foam basketball into the air and catching it over and over again as he fills their father's bed. The good thing about the two of you coming back like this... is that you're so freaking transparent that dad is going to see right through you and kick you both out on your high maintenance asses," Thomas exhales in frustration as he storms out. His warning seems to echo for Jenna, "He might be right, James. We have to figure out how to play this, because that little twerp of a half-brother has it in for us." Dr. Julia stops into Theodore Baldwin's room to check on her favorite patient. Vital signs are good. Looks like Theodore will be going home this week. Theodore's thrilled and promises to take it easy. Theodore apologizes in case his children were a bit too much to handle. "I'm sure they bicker because they all love you in their own ways," Julia assures Theodore. "I was more referring to James... he has a weakness for strong and beautiful women," Theodore smiles. Julia laughs, "Honestly I didn't pay much attention. Your son is very handsome but doesn't sound like he and I would have much in common." Theodore speaks up for his son, "Well don't sell him short... He was always a smart student, an athlete, and the life of the party. I suppose his only drawback is that he's not the most in touch with his emotions. But perhaps that's where you come in, my dear?" Julia smirks at Theodore's attempt at matchmaking, grips his arm warmly and leaves to return to her rounds. Henry Von Stadt tells his son Leo that his dalliance with Fiona better have payoff for them in the long run, but he hopes they will never need her services. Leo is about to leave work for the day and asks what's on his father's agenda tomorrow. "Interviewing personal assistants! My favorite part of the job," Henry groans. Leo reminds his father that whatever secretary he hires, he had better find one good at keeping secrets. "Absolutely, and you'd do well not to forget who you're talking to, son. I can manage myself very well," Henry reminds him. Their relationship is obviously tense. "Well that's wonderful!" Fiona expresses enthusiasm, looking to Rod, hoping it will catch on. It doesn't. "You called us here to tell us you're dating someone?" Rod asks, not seeing the point. "I called you here because I'm in love with someone. And you two are the most important people in my life and I wanted you to meet him," Terrence says cautiously optimistic. "Dad, isn't this a little early to be in love? You've been out of the closet for what, not even a year yet?" Rod objects. "So when do we meet him?" Fiona tries to continue on the path her father was trying to take with the dinner. "Tonight, if you like. He's here." Fiona shows interest in meeting this man and Crystal grips Rod's clenched fist and tries to speak for them both by saying it would be a lovely night to meet the man Terrence cares so much for. Terrence, nervous, calls Christian into the room. Christian, looking obviously younger than both Terrence's children, but nicely dressed, with his long hair slicked back and pushed behind his ears, enters, and sits in the empty chair at Terrence's left. "Fiona... Rod... it's so good to finally meet both of you," Christian smiles. Fiona's face turned from forced enthusiasm to shock and awe. Fiona couldn't keep her jaw from sagging and Rod couldn't keep the grin off his face. Rod was grinning in disbelief, not thinking it could have gotten as ridiculous as it just did. Carina arrives at The Redeye, hoping to not hate the drinks she's about to share with her big sister, Aviva. Aviva jumps out of her chair at the sight of Carina and gives her a big happy giggling kiss. Carina's offering a half-hearted smile at most. "So my darling sister... what's been going on with you? I haven't seen you since... Labor Day? Toiling away long hours at the hospital? Or have I not seen you because you've found yourself a MAN..." Aviva teases, trying to brighten her sister's mood... which doesn't work. "No, no man. Just work. There's actually nothing going on in my life. At all. Absolutely no changes since I saw you for Labor Day," Carina says, hardly believing it herself. "Oh there's Ramon. Let's go sit at the bar, he'll give us free drinks." Carina's prophecy came true... now Aviva will spend all her time staring at her boyfriend. Aviva drags Carina to the bar and they sit on the stools, Ramon and Aviva instantly cooing at each other over the bar. Ramon serves them drinks -- cosmopolitans. Ramon turns to Carina and reminds her that they're $5. "So much for free drinks..." Carina says under her breath and Aviva feels horrible that Ramon is charging Carina for hers. Aviva digs into her purse to pay for her sister's drink, but Carina refuses her money. "No, he obviously doesn't want your money, so keep it. He'll take your drink out in trade, I'm sure," Carina mock-teases. Aviva can (finally!) tell Carina's in a seriously sour mood. Julia sits down with her laptop in the on-call room at the hospital and sees four e-mails, all from her mother. She blows through them, and the last one reads "I'm on my way to NYC!" Julia's look instantly transforms from irritation to worry. Christian tries to make an effort to jump start conversation to kill the awkward silence filling the dining room at the Applewhite home, "Okay, so let's talk about that elephant in the room. Yeah, there's an age difference," Christian admits, knowing there was no way of getting around the subject. Rod jumps on the topic ferociously, "Yes, what grade are you in?" he smugly asks. Terrence shoots him a harsh glare. Christian swallows Rod's animosity and continues in a civilized way, "I'm 23 years old. And believe me, Terrence and I both had concerns entering into this when it came to the age gap between us. But we both see the world the same way, we can laugh at the same things... we connect, and without age entering into it, that's a pretty amazing thing these days when everyone is usually so consumed with looking for that next best thing around the corner," Christian speaks confidently of his relationship with Terrence, and Rod has lost track of the fact that the smirk hasn't left his face. "Forgive me if I don't ask when the wedding is," Rod smiles. "That's enough, Rod," Terrence shuts down his son's sarcasm. "I hope that if you can't find it in yourself to be supportive you can at least be civil to Christian just because he's a guest in our home." Rod decides to respect his father's wishes, "Sorry. I can be a jackass sometimes." Christian is surprised at the turnaround, "It's fine," Christian responds, "So can I, sometimes." Fiona tries to continue the ease of tension, "So Christian, what do you do for a living?" Christian announces he's an actor, and has done some television, one very bit part in a independent film, and generally works in theatre. Rod nearly chokes on his champagne. Before Rod can make a crack about it, Terrence acknowledges that was how they met, through a theatre project. And that falls under the category "things they have in common". Rod looks to Fiona with a skeptical look, and she meets his look with one that is meant to pacify him. Fiona then throws a sympathetic smile to her father. "Well... you will have plenty of time to ask Christian anything you like and get to know him better," Terrence informs his kids, "since I've asked Christian to move in here with me. With all of us." Crystal looks to Rod again, nervous for what this revelation might do to him. Fiona almost has to break her quiet support at this point, since moving in together seems like a huge leap since the Applewhite children just met this boy tonight. <<< Stay Tuned for scenes from the next Beyond the Horizon >>> This November, on Beyond the Horizon: Eleanor Halperin advises her daughters to protect their hearts when it comes to men. Rebecca Halperin befriends sexy classmate Tiffany Lawless and feels pressured to hide the fact she's a virgin. Eleanor meets her dead husband's boss, CEO of Von Stadt International, Henry, who works his charms on her. Hattie Wilson, Tiffany and Dr. Julia's off-kilter mother, takes a job as Henry's secretary, and sets her sights on the wealthy businessman. Hattie can tell Eleanor will be a significant roadblock in her quest for Henry's heart, so she works to undermine Henry and Eleanor's growing connection. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shawn Marks is both thrilled and somewhat nervous when his Private Investigator sister Rachel decides to put down roots in NYC. Shawn hopes to continue climbing the corporate ladder at VSI and backs girlfriend Jenna's pitch for her own design label. Shawn hides a major secret from everyone in his life. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rolo Valdez performs poorly in Aviva's class at Hunter College, leading to tension for his brother Ramon's relationship with Aviva. Ramon makes a drunken mistake that won't be so easily forgotten. Rolo's interest in classmate Tiffany Lawless makes him postpone his decision to drop out of college. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rod hires a private investigator to dig up what Christian Avery Field is really all about. Rod plots to expose Christian's secrets at Thanksgiving dinner, but his plan promptly backfires. Terrence issues his family an ultimatum over Christian. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- James and Jenna convince their father Theodore to buy a large brownstone with some of his lottery winnings so the entire Baldwin family can live together. James hopes to use his newfound wealth to get closer to Dr. Julia Lawless. James and Jenna win the battle, but know they will have to work harder to win the war with younger half-brother Thomas.