Stacey Rockwell looks at the tall Christmas tree that is in the living room of the guest house that is on the grounds of the Rockwell mansion. After she gave birth to her daughter, Poppy, Stacey moved out of the mansion and into the guesthouse so she could have more space to raise her children, as she also has a son, Drake, but still be close enough to the family that the kids can see them whenever they want.


As she looks at the tree, which is decorated in a pink and gold theme, she can't help but smile as she loves the holidays. This year, in particular, the Christmas season feels extra special as she had left town for a while to get her head on straight; now that she's back, she wants to make sure that she is keeping her life drama and stress free.


Leading up to her wanting to leave town, she knows that she was caught between a rock and a hard place because she had fallen in love with Kent Blackmore, but he had remarried Vivian Blackmore, who was gloating to her that she and Kent had made love. In the midst of all of this, Kent's son, Houston Blackmore, was pressuring Stacey to get back together with him. She felt like the walls were closing in on her and that she couldn't breathe. It only made matters worse that she was the one who suggested that Kent marry Vivian, when she was on her death bed.


When she returned home, Kent was waiting for her, and he revealed that he had filed for divorce from Vivian. Stacey got the feeling that he had hoped that they would reunite now that his marriage is over, but Stacey knows what she must do and that's why, she has invited Kent over to her place.


She looks at the door when she hears the doorbell ring, and she takes a deep breath as she realizes that Kent has arrived. She moves to the door and opens it, seeing her former lover standing there in the cold, winter air.


"Kent, thanks for coming, please come in," she welcomes him into the guest house. "It looks cold out there."


Kent takes his jacket off and places it on the back of the large sofa. "It's freezing," he replies to her. "Christmas is definitely in the air."


"That it is," Stacey purses her lips together. "Can I get you anything?"


"Nah, I'm good," Kent smiles back to her. "Your tree, it's beautiful."


"Thanks," Stacey replies to him. "The kids had so much fun decorating with me."


"Christmas really is special because of the children."


Stacey chuckles back to him. "This is true," she nods back to him. "Look, there is a reason why I asked you here today, and it wasn't just to discuss Christmas with you."


Kent nods back to her with a chuckle. "I suspected as much," he admits to her. "I assume this has to do with my announcement that my marriage to Vivian is over?"


"It does," Stacey nods back to him. "I got the feeling that you were hoping that we'd reunite now that your marriage is ending."


"Can you blame me?" Kent asks her quickly. "You and I, we had something special Stacey. Hell, the only reason I married Vivian is because you suggested it to me when Viv was in the hospital."


"I know all of that," Stacey tells him. "But when I was away, I realized that I need to focus on myself, not relationships. And while I agree, what we had was special, and we have Poppy together, you and I, we have no future together Kent. We are over, for good."


Kent feels his heart sink in his chest at her words as he had hoped that they'd reunite. "Stacey…are you sure? We could be together, finally. You know I'd jump at the chance to be with you, for real, this time."


"I am sure," she tells him quickly. "And I need you to respect my decision."


Kent nods back to her. "The last thing I want to do is cause you any more stress; I know how close you were to a breakdown, Stacey. So, if this is really want you want, I will, of course, respect you."


"Thanks Kent," Stacey looks back into his eyes. "It is what I want, but I will cherish our time together forever."


***


Sabine Andrews stands in the living room of the Rockwell mansion, and she stares into the crackling fire that is raging in the fireplace. She slowly moves her hand up to her face as she feels the bandage that remains; she closes her eyes and, immediately, recalls how when she was in Moscow trying to save her grandson, Jumper, from his father, Marat Kafelinkov, and Marat kidnapped her and was holding her hostage. Her daughter, Quinn Cunningham and her lover, Deacon Cooper, arrived to save her, but Marat pushed Deacon into a large vat of acid, which killed him. Some of the acid, however, splashed out of the vat and hit Sabine's face, which is why she is bandaged. She hates that her face is still damaged, and she has no idea if she will ever be her normal self again.


"You look like a million miles away," a voice calls out from behind her, causing Sabine to snap back into reality and look behind her, where she sees MacKenzie Rockwell standing there. "Is everything okay?"


"This…this is supposed to be the happiest time of the year," she whispers back to him. "And I just…I don't have that Christmas spirit this year."

"Does this have to do with your face and your scar?" Mac asks her as he moves closer to her. "Because you know that I still think you're the most beautiful woman."


Sabine feels her eyes swell with water just as her sister, Lydia Rockwell, moves into the living room. "You're very kind, but I'm feeling very insecure about it."


Lydia arches her eyebrow having heard her sister admit she is insecure about her face. "Sabine, this was all a terrible accident," Lydia tells her, causing Mac and Sabine to look over at her. "You have nothing to feel insecure about!"


"That's easy for everyone to say," Sabine says as a tear falls down her cheek. "The reality is, my face is scared and I might never look the same again!"


***


Dane Ashby opens the door to the study in the Rockwell mansion and spies Lucinda Rockwell pouring herself a brandy at the bar. He knows that they have been at odds lately as she recently revealed that Dyhannah Cooper is his biological daughter; he is still furious with her that she knew that Lydia had his past investigated and that she didn't only recently tell him about Dyhannah. On top of that, Dyhannah was, recently, arrested for giving Kent some corporate secrets from Rockwell Mining.


"If you're pouring drinks, I'd love one," he announces to his fiancé as he moves closer to her.


Lucinda turns around and smiles back at him. "Sure," she purses her lips together before she pours another brandy. "Here you go."


"Thank you," Dane replies to her before he toasts her glass. "I love this time of the year; it was when we got engaged."


"How could I forget?" Lucinda chuckles to him. "You really surprised me with the dinner and this beautiful ring. That…seems so long ago now."


"Yes, this was before I knew you had me investigated."


"I did not have you investigated," she reminds him. "That was Lydia's doing; I found out and just didn't tell you at first."


"You didn't tell me at all," Dane reminds her. "I overheard your grandson, Lex, and his lover, Casper Ross, discussing it, remember?"


"Yes, yes," Lucinda waves her hand in the air. "Needless to say, I should have told you once I found out. The truth is, Dane, I was rattled by the fact that Dyhannah was revealed to be your daughter. You know damn well how I feel about that woman."


Dane sighs back to her. "It doesn't matter now, because she is my daughter."


"It does matter."


"Then you will not like what I have to tell you," Dane reveals to her as she arches her eyebrow back to him. "You know that Dyhannah was arrested?"


"Jail is the best place for that barracuda!"


"I posted her bail," Dane informs her as she gasps out in shock. "My daughter is a free woman again."


***


Dyhannah Cooper paces back and forth in her suite that is above the country club as her mind races about what has happened recently. She can't believe that she was arrested for giving Kent details of Rockwell Mining's upcoming collaboration on the Pink Roses with Roboto, a cosmetics company out of Twin Peaks. While in jail, she was further rattled when Dane revealed that he is her biological father. She feels like her head is spinning as she has never really seen eye to eye with Dane, or Lucinda, but she doesn't know why he would lie about that fact. And then, he posted her bail, which he wouldn't have done if she wasn't his daughter.


"This is happening so fast," she whispers to herself as she moves to the bar and pours herself a gin and tonic. "I…I can't believe that Dane is my father. After all the heated exchanges we've had over the last few weeks and months…he's my father?"


She takes a health sip of her drink as she wonders what her next move should be. "Maybe Dane can be the key to the downfall of that dreadful family; maybe he can help me carry out my quest of revenge."


***


The following morning, Mac sits behind the large wooden desk in his office at Rockwell Mining. He is typing into his laptop as he continues to work on the Pink Roses collaboration with Rockwell Mining and Roboto; the plan is for Rockwell to mine some rare, pink diamonds and they will be carved into rose shapes. The diamonds will, then, be placed in a crown that the lead model of the campaign will wear, and it will tie into Roboto's latest perfume ad, called Pink Roses.


He looks up when he hears the door to the office open and he sees his youngest son, Lexington Rockwell, move inside.


"Good morning, Lex," Mac says as he stands up and greets his son. "We have a million things to do on the Pink Roses file before the Christmas break."


"That's why I came in early," Lex admits to his father as he moves to the bar and pours himself a cup of coffee. "I know we have a lot of work to do before the launch."


"The good news is that I heard from our miners, and they have the diamonds," Mac reveals to his son. "We had a minor delay before, but now that we have the diamonds, we can start crafting them into the shapes of the roses."


"That is fantastic news!" Lex beams back to him. "Have you given Natasha Calimo that update?"


"Not yet, but I was about to give her a call, want to join in?"


"I'd love that," Lex smiles back to his father as he moves closer to the desk, as Mac opens Zoom and prepares for the meeting.


***


Soft piano-based Christmas music is playing in the background of the country club as Cole Rockwell sits at a table and taps his finger against the glass that his beer is in. His mind is racing about how a few days earlier at the club, he ran into his former girlfriend, Madison Stewart, and she had a baby with her. She stunned him by revealing that she was back in town because she had given birth and she couldn't stay away because Cole is the father of the child! The baby boy, Rocky, is his child.


His mind has been racing about the fact that he could be a father now; he had no idea that Madi was pregnant or that she had given birth, so this is happening very quickly for him.


"I…I have to find out if this is true or not," he whispers to himself as he takes a sip of his beer. "I could have a son, my God, I… I was beginning to think children were not in my future, and now, Rocky, is here and very much alive."


He looks over his shoulder when he hears someone clear their throat. He sees Madi standing behind him. He stands up to greet her with a kiss on her cheek. "Merry Christmas, Madi, thanks for meeting with me."


"Of course," Madi smiles back to him as she sits across from him. "I…I hope you're not mad that I didn't bring Rocky. My Mom, she really wanted to babysit him this morning."


"Nah, that's all good," Cole replies to her. "This will give us a chance to talk."


"You did make seem important."


Cole nervously chuckles back to her. "You laid a bombshell on me a few days ago," he reveals to her. "I…I had no idea that you were pregnant and carrying my child. And now, I find out that I have a son and he's almost 6 months old."


"I know," Madi sighs back to him. "If you recall, we were together and Celeste was desperate to get you back, which is why she planted her underwear in your bedroom. She wanted it to seem like you two were sleeping together behind my back."


Cole shuts his eyes for a moment as he thinks about his former lover, Celeste Baldwin, did plot to break up him and Madison. "How could I forget?"


"When I left town, I just needed a separation from everything," she explains to him. "And so, when I found out that I was pregnant, I…I didn't want the drama, so I kept it to myself. But, Cole, as Rocky started to get bigger, and I know he will be walking and talking in no time, I…I couldn't let you miss out on his life. That's not fair to you, or to Rocky. And so, I came back. And, I'm hoping that you will think of Rocky, your son, as the best Christmas present possible."


Cole gulps back to her. "I have one small request, if I may?"


"Uh, sure?" Madi looks back at him. "What can I do?"


"I want a DNA test," he reveals to her eyes open wider in surprise. "I need to be sure that Rocky is my son."


***


Quinn Cunningham peers into the small bed where her son, Jumper, is fast asleep. She gets tears in her eyes at the sight as for so long, she worried that she would never see him again because his father, Marat Kafelinkov, kidnapped him and whisked him away to Moscow, Russia. Thankfully, she was able to get him back with the help of Deacon Cooper, who Marat killed while they were saving Jumper and Sabine.


"Is he sleeping?" a voice calls out from behind Quinn, who turns and sees her mother standing there.


"He is and he looks so peaceful," Quinn whispers back to her, as they move up and hug one another. "How are you? Have you been in contact with any doctors about your burn?"


Sabine gulps back to her as she knows that she is struggling to know that she might never look the same way because of the large burn on her face from the acid that splashed her. "There is no update on that front," Sabine quickly tells her. "I'm…I'm still trying to navigate all of this, and it's a difficult time with the holidays."


"I know, just know that if I can help with anything, I'll do whatever I can," Quinn replies to her mother. "I feel so bad and responsible for all of this. Had Marat not kidnapped Jumper, none of this would have happened."


"It is not your fault," Sabine tells her quickly. "Marat is responsible for his own actions. The only thing that matters is that you have your son back."


"There is something else that I have to do though, and I am dreading it," Quinn whispers to her as Sabine arches her eyebrow. "I…I have to go to Chase and Dyhannah and tell them about Deacon. I've been putting it off because Dyhannah was in jail, but I heard she made bail, so I have to go to them and tell them that Deacon is…" she gasps for air as tears fill in her eyes. "Dead."


***


Dane steps off the elevator at the country club and moves towards the door of Dyhannah's suite. He has wanted to see how his daughter is doing now that she is out of jail. He knocks on her door and, soon, Dyhannah opens it and sees her father standing there.


"Dane, hi," she says as she lets him into her suite. "I…I wasn't expecting to see you."


Dane chuckles back to her as he moves into the suite. "I paid your bail and wanted to see how you were doing."


"As well as to be expected," she sighs back to him. "I still have those charges pending; somehow, I will find a way to make them go away, but I do appreciate that you paid my bail. I really didn't want to spend Christmas in jail."


"Then it was money well spent, I'd say," he looks back at her. "Look, Dyhannah, I know that we have had some, rocky moments, to put it mildly, but that was before I knew that you are my daughter. I'd…I'd like to start fresh and, maybe, get to know you?"


Dyhannah purses her lips together as she thinks about the various encounters that she had with both Dane and Lucinda, however, she can't deny that she does appreciate the fact that he was able to bail her out of jail, and now, he is making an honest effort with her.


"I think we should take it slow, but I agree, that sounds, nice," she replies to her father.


***


Cole opens the door to the main office at Rockwell Mining and quickly moves inside. As he sets his bag down on the desk, he sees Lex about to make himself a drink at the bar.


"I'd love one of those," Cole tells Lex, who turns and sees his older brother. "A double if possible."


Lex chuckles back to him. "Rough morning?"


"You have no idea," Cole shakes his head back to him. "Madi is back in town."


"I see," Lex replies to him as he passes him the gin and tonic. "Is that preventing you from being with Celeste?"


"It's just interesting," Cole tells him before he takes a sip of his drink. "Just when I realized that I do have feelings for Celeste and that we could have a future together, Madi comes back and drops this…bombshell on me."


Lex arches his eyebrow back to him. "A bombshell? What did Madi tell you?"


Cole takes another sip of his drink before he looks back at his brother. "She…uh…well, she brought someone to town with her," Cole begins to tell him.


"Who?" Lex asks him quickly.


"My…son," Cole reveals to him as Lex gasps back in shock. "Madi is claiming to have given birth to my child."


"Wow," Lex says back to him in surprise. "I…I can see why your head is spinning. But Cole, a child with Madi shouldn't change your mind about being with Celeste, if that's what you want. You can be with Celeste and still be a good father to your kid. Don't let this stop you or change your path, okay?"


Cole uneasily gulps back to him. "I…I guess that's easier said than done. I…I have no idea what I'm going to do next, man."


***


Madi opens the door to the Blackmore mansion and scurries inside, desperate to escape the chilly, winter air that is in Kelsey Lake. She moves into the living room, where she sees her parents, Vivian Blackmore and Chase Cooper, on the floor in front of the large Christmas tree playing with her son, Rocky. The sight brings a smile to her face as she loves that her parents are happy to be grandparents.


"Well, this is a sight for sore eyes," she announces as she sets her large Gucci bag down on the sofa, as her parents look over at her and they stand up to greet her.


"Your mother called me to meet my grandson," Chase says as he hugs Madi. "What a handsome boy you have!"


"Thank you, Daddy," Madi giggles as she exits the embrace before she hugs Vivian. "You two are going to spoil him, I can already tell."


"Of course, we are!" Vivian tells her as they exit their embrace. "And we are going to start this Christmas."


"Well, it's still young to understand this Christmas, but it will be a wonderful holiday being here with you two," Madi tells them.


"Does Cole know about Rocky?" Vivian asks her daughter as she puts Rocky into his crib.


"I just came from seeing him," Madi explains to her parents. "He's shocked, and I don't blame him because I didn't tell him I was pregnant."


"How is he feeling about being a father?" Chase asks her next.


Madi sighs back to him. "He wants a DNA test," she reveals to them. "He wants proof that Rocky is his child, and after he gets that proof, I think we will see what happens next."


***


A short time later, Vivian moves into the country club to pick up some takeout that she ordered for the family's dinner that night. She is saving cooking for Christmas Day, since it is right around the corner. She moves up to the bar, as she listens to the Christmas music playing in the background. She sits and orders a drink while she waits for her order.


She turns her head and happens to see Kent moving into the restaurant. She sighs, quickly, at the sight of her estranged husband. She still hates that he wants to divorce her, again, over something that never really happened. Somehow, Kent got a picture of her and Chase kissing, and he believes that she was having an affair with him, which is not the case. In fact, she was only kissing Chase to see if he would stray on Dyhannah before their wedding. The kiss lasted a moment, and they went their own separate ways.


"Did you order an eggnog?" Kent asks her as he moves up to the bar and sits next to her.


"You know I did," she chuckles back to him. "It is one of my favorite parts about Christmas."


"Yes, I remember," Kent tells her. "You look well, Vivian."


"So do you, Kent," she replies to him before she takes a sip of her drink. "I wish you would come home, you know how much I love Christmas."


"It wouldn't be fair," Kent tells her quickly. "While I believe we can be civil, I do want to proceed with the divorce Vivian."


Vivian feels her eyes swell with water. "I love you, Kent. I never cheated on you with Chase. This is all a big misunderstanding."


"Our entire marriage has been a misunderstanding," he reveals. "The truth is, I only married you because we all thought you were dying. I am glad that you survived, of course, but Viv, I haven't been in love with you that way for a very long time."


A single tear falls down her cheek and she quickly wipes it away. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to hurt you. I am just trying to be honest."


"I know, it just…I really thought our marriage would survive this time, Kent."


"Somethings aren't meant to be," Kent whispers back to her. "We have a son together, we have so many memories together," he continues to tell her. "But moving forward, we will just be friends."


"I…I can handle friends," she purses her lips together. "Merry Christmas, Kent."


"Merry Christmas, Viv."


***


Lydia opens the door to the study in the Rockwell Mansion and moves inside when she sees Lucinda sitting on the brown leather sofa reading a book while the fire rages inside the fireplace.


"You look cozy," Lydia says as Lucinda looks up from her book.


"I am just reading 'A Christmas Carol'," Lucinda explains as she sets the large book down on the coffee table. "I read it every year; it helps me get into the holiday spirit."


"That's lovely," Lydia sits next to her former mother-in-law. "But we need to talk, so I hope you can take some time away from the book so we can talk."


"Let me guess, you still want my help to break up MacKenzie and your sister?" Lucinda chuckles as she stands up and moves to the bar, where she pours herself a brandy.


"It is time for us to take action," Lydia nods back to her. "And remember, Lucinda, as soon as you break them up, I will turn over the power of attorney for Nathan. You can get your son back, Lucinda."


"I know the terms," Lucinda hisses back at her. "So, leave it with me. I promise you that before Christmas Day, Mac and Sabine will no longer be an item."


***


The following morning, Sabine sits behind the desk in the living room of the Rockwell mansion typing into her laptop. She is doing research on doctors that could help her with some reconstructive surgery to fix the scar that is on her face after the acid hit her face in Moscow.


She sighs in frustration as she realizes that there currently no doctors in Kelsey Lake that could help her with her scar.


"I'd have to travel to Los Angeles or New York," she whispers to herself as she slowly closes the laptop. "I would have to leave my friends and family when I need them the most."


She runs her hand over the large bandage that is still on her cheek as tears fill her eyes. "Will I ever get back to my normal self?"


"Good morning, Sabine," Mac announces as he moves into the living room, and he spies his lover at the desk. "Are you looking into something at the computer?"


Sabine shuts her eyes and lets another tear fall down her cheek before she brushes them aside. She hates that Mac is taking pity on her because she knows that he has always had a beautiful woman on his arm, and right now, she doesn't feel like she is one.


"I need to get going," she coldly tells him. "I have an appointment that I can't be late for," she lies to him as she stands up and rushes out of the living room, leaving Mac standing alone at the bar as he pours himself a cup of coffee.


He turns and sees that Sabine has already left before he can ask her another question about her appointment. "Uh? Okay? Have a good morning?" he whispers to himself, wondering what is going on with his girlfriend.


***


Quinn steps off the elevator at the county club and takes a deep breath before she fixes her blouse and pencil skirt. She then slowly starts to walk towards the door of the suite that she starts to knock on when she arrives. She feels her hands become a tad sweaty as she is nervous about what she is about to do.


Dyhannah arches her eyebrow when she sees Quinn standing in the hallway. "Quinn, what brings you by?"


"I…uh…I need to talk to you and Chase," Quinn replies to her quickly. "It's important. I should have come sooner, I've just been trying to find the right words."


"What are you talking about?" Dyhannah asks her as she puts a hand on her hip.


"Can I come in? I'd rather not tell you this in the hallway," Quinn nervously tells her, as she lets Quinn enter. Quinn sees Chase getting a cup of coffee. "Hi Chase."


"Oh Quinn," Chase looks back at her as Dyhannah closes the door to the suite. "I had heard that you were back in town. I was going to call you since we hadn't heard from Deacon. Why hasn't he been answering our calls?"


"That's….why…I'm here," Quinn's lower lip quivers. "There…there was a situation that happened in Russia."


"A situation?" Dyhannah asks her, starting to not like the direction of the conversation. "What kind of situation?"


"Marat ended up kidnapping my mother," Quinn reveals to them. "Deacon and I, we went to the Kremlin to find her, which we did. Marat had my mother in this room where there were these large vats of acid; I am assuming so they could dispose of any unused diamonds to prevent competitions from getting their hands on them."


"What does this have to do with Deacon?" Chase asks her.


"Deacon and Marat," Quinn tries to not choke on her words. "They started to fight. Deacon tried to get away and he ran on the platform," she says as she covers her mouth. "Oh God…Marat, that son of a bitch," she says as a tear falls down her cheek. "He…he pushed Deacon, and he fell."


"My God? Is Deacon okay? Is it in the hospital?" Dyhannah shrieks back to her.


"No," Quinn looks back at her as another tear falls down her cheek. "Deacon, he fell into the acid. He….he died. I'm….I'm so sorry."


"No!" Dyhannah shrieks at her as Chase rushes up to her and hugs as they start to weep. "No! Not my baby! Not my baby!"


"I'm so sorry," Quinn cries back to her.


Dyhannah wails in pain before she points her finger at Quinn. "This….is….all…your…fault….my…son…is….dead….because….of…you!"


***


Quinn moves into the living room of the Rockwell living room and makes a beeline for the bar. She feels like her nerves are shot after telling Chase and Dyhannah about Deacon; she knew that they wouldn't take the news of his death well, but the fact that Dyhannah blamed her for the death is really hitting her hard.


She pours herself a brandy and takes a sip of it immediately, as she hopes that her shaking hands will calm down. She turns and sees Sabine moving back into the living room, looking like she has been crying.


"Mom? Is everything okay?" Quinn asks her as Sabine moves closer to the large Christmas tree that is twinkling in the living room.

"I'm fine," she sighs back to her daughter. "It's…I guess the holidays are hitting me harder this year."


"What can I do to help?"


"You can pour me one of those drinks," Sabine forces a smile on her as Quinn moves back to the bar. "Have you seen Dyhannah and Chase yet?"


"That's why I'm drinking," Quinn tells her. "I just came from seeing them," she reveals as she passes her mother the drink.


"I can't imagine how awful that would have been."


"It…it was the worst thing that I have ever had to do," Quinn says as a tear falls down her cheek. "This is all my fault, Mom. I am the reason that Deacon is dead and nothing I say or do will ever get him back."


***


"I'm completely numb," Dyhannah admits to Chase as they sit next to one another on the sofa in her suite at the country club. They are both still in shock over the news that Quinn just revealed to them that Deacon was killed by Marat in Moscow. They can't believe that their only child together is no longer with them.


"I just can't believe that Deacon is gone," Chase whispers back to her. "This feels like a nightmare, only we aren't going to wake up."


"That bitch did this to our son," Dyhannah leans up from the sofa and looks back at Chase with red eyes. "Quinn Cunningham will pay for what she has done to our son and our family."


"Dy," Chase grabs her hand. "This isn't the time for revenge. We…we need to be together now, to mourn and grieve together."


"You can't, seriously, be asking me to get back together with you right now?" Dyhannah sighs back to him.


"Doesn't losing Deacon put everything into perspective?" Chase asks her next. "What is important in life is love and family, and I love you, Dyhannah, and you're my family. Let's put everything else behind us?"


"I can't do that," Dyhannah replies to him quickly. "And I'm not sure that I will ever be ready to get back together with you, Chase."


***


Cole moves into the country club looking to grab a quick lunch as he is busy at the office working on the Pink Roses collaboration with Roboto. As he moves towards the hostess, he can't help but see Celeste Baldwin sitting at a table by herself. He sighs to himself as he knows that he owes her an explanation as to what has been happening between them, which is already very complicated.


He finds himself walking up to her table and past the large Christmas tree that is in the dining room. "Celeste, hi," he says as he sits across from her. "I've…I've been meaning to reach out to you."


Celeste puts her fork down before she looks back at Cole. She knows that he has been pushing her away for months, so to hear that he wanted to reach out to her is surprising to say the least. "Happy Holiday's, Cole. I hope that this isn't you telling me to stay away from you again, because I have been trying my best in that regard. I think I've finally realized that we can't be together."


Cole sighs back to her uneasily. "I know and that's on me," he admits to her. "The truth is, I saw you with Houston recently and, well, it made me feel incredibly uneasy."


Celeste arches her eyebrow back to him. "Houston and I are just friends, Cole. Nothing more. Our one night together, yes it happened, but it was just that, one night."


"I believe you," Cole tells her. "But seeing you with him, it brought something out in me. I…I guess I was jealous."


Celeste looks back at him in surprise. "You're jealous? You've been pushing me away for weeks, Cole," she chuckles to him. "You can't push me away but then get jealous if I am, appearing too, move on."


"I know, I know," Cole sighs. "I guess it made me realize that I do have feelings for you. I always have."


Celeste feels her heart skip a beat before she looks back at him in confusion. "I guess I am not understanding, Cole. You would have seen me with Houston weeks ago, why are you only telling me this now?"


"I was going to come to you as soon as I realized what I was thinking," he reveals to her. "But something happened. Something that will change everything forever."


"I don't like the sound of this."


"Brace yourself, because your head is about to explode," Cole uneasily tells her as Celeste gulps heavily, as he prepares to tell her that he might be a father to baby Rocky.


***


"How do you really feel about Cole requesting a DNA test on Rocky?" Chase asks Madi as he pours three glasses of wine in the living room of the Blackmore mansion. He recalls how his daughter told him, and Vivian, that Cole wanted a DNA test to confirm that he is Rocky's father.


"Honestly, I am fine," Madi replies to him as he accepts the wine. "The truth is, I have nothing to hide, and I wasn't with anyone else but Cole, so I already know that he is the father. But, I can appreciate why he wants confirmation. This is coming out of left field for him."


"Chase, more importantly, the question is, how are you? This news about Deacon must be hitting you incredibly hard," Vivian comes up to him. "And, you too sweetheart," she turns and looks at her daughter. "You were very close to your brother."


Madi and Chase look at one another with sorrow in their eyes. "I'm…I'm managing the best I can," Chase whispers back to her. "I'm trying to remember the good times and realize that we were blessed to have him while we can."


"How is Dyhannah? I can't imagine what she is going through right now," Madi asks her father quickly.


"I'm worried about her," Chase admits to his family. "I've never seen her like this before and I'm scared that she is about to go down a very dark and dangerous path."


***


A short time later, Vivian sets off the elevator and moves towards the front door of the penthouse where Kent lives. She recalls how he asked her to come over, so she did as she is still hopeful that, somehow, he has changed his mind about their pending divorce. She takes a deep breath and then knocks on the front door, which has a large Christmas wreath hanging on it.


"Viv, thanks for coming over," Kent says as he opens the door and lets his wife into the penthouse. "I know this was last minute."


"I can always make time for you," Vivian purses her lips together as she moves into the living room and then admires the Christmas tree that is to her left. "Beautiful tree this year, Kent."


"Thank you," he tells her as he moves up to the desk and picks up a file folder. "I asked you over hoping that you'd sign these."


"What are they?" Vivian asks as she moves up to him.


"Our divorce papers," he reveals to her as she looks at him in surprise. "I had my lawyer draw them up. They are fair and straight forward. I was hoping that we could end this marriage without much of a fight, Vivian."


Vivian feels her eyes swell with water, realizing that there is no hope for her and Kent moving forward. "I…I don't want you to be in a marriage that you don't want to be in," she whispers back to him. "So yes, I will sign them. I will sign them right now."


***


Lucinda moves into the living room of the Rockwell mansion and sees Sabine placing some newly wrapped Christmas presents under the large tree. Lucinda knows that she has too, somehow, convince Sabine to end her relationship with Mac, as per her discussion with Lydia. Once she does that, Lydia will turn over power of attorney of Nathan, which is what Lucinda wants.


"You did a nice job wrapping those presents," Lucinda tells her as she moves up to the bar and starts to pour herself a glass of brandy.


"What is going on with you?" Sabine asks her quickly. "You're normally not this nice to me."


Lucinda chuckles back to her as she takes a sip of her brandy. "You know me too well," she tells her. "I was actually wondering what is going on with your face and that hideous scar."


Sabine looks back at her in shock as she is already feeling insecure about her face. She feels her voice tremble as she replies to Lucinda, "What are you talking about?"


"Have you found a doctor to remove the scar?"


"No, I haven't."


"What are you waiting for?" Lucinda asks her as she takes another sip of her drink. "You know damn well my son deserves to be with someone beautiful; I really believe you will have the most difficult of times keeping MacKenzie's interest with your current form."


Sabine lets a tear fall down her cheek, rattled by Lucinda's cold words to her. "Oh, for the love of God, save your tears," Lucinda tells her. "Maybe it's time you focus on getting healed, Sabine. And leave my son alone in the meantime."


***


"Are you sure you don't want something to eat? You have to keep up your strength," Dane asks Dyhannah as they sit across from one another in the country club with two whiskey sours on their table in front of them. He knows that his daughter is dealing with the loss of Deacon, and he doesn't want her to stop taking care of herself.


"I am not hungry," Dyhannah replies to him quickly. "I couldn't eat even if I tried."


"Dyhannah," Dane informs his daughter. "You have to keep your strength up. I know that losing Deacon is hard, but you still have to take care of yourself."


"I appreciate your concern," Dyhannah sighs back to him before she takes a sip of her drink. "But like I said, I couldn't eat even if I tried."


"How are you holding up? And be honest with me."


Dyhannah feels her eyes swell with water at the thought of losing Deacon. "I have no idea," she admits to him. "I feel numb, and I don't know when I will feel normal again."


"I'm glad that you're talking to me about this," he tells her. "It is good for you to get it off your chest."


"My main focus, Dane, is revenge," Dyhannah looks back at him with intent. "I want Quinn to pay for killing my son."


At the entry way of the club, Lucinda stands in surprise at the sight of her fiancé reaching over the table and grabbing his daughter's hand. She hadn't realized that they were growing that close, but she doesn't like it.


***


The following morning, Quinn steps off the elevator at Blackmore Ltd. and starts to move towards the main office. She is at the office today hoping to start to regain her life; after everything that has happened with Marat, Jumper, and Deacon, she is eager to start to get her life back on track.


"Good morning," she announces to Kent and Houston Blackmore, who are huddled behind the desk looking at Kent's computer screen. "I am glad that you're both here."


Kent and Houston look at Quinn in surprise as they were not expecting her at the office. "Quinn, I heard you were back," Houston tells her as he moves up to her and hugs her. "I'm glad that Jumper is safe, but I was sorry to hear about Deacon."


"Thank you," Quinn replies to him. "Dyhannah and Chase are devastated, and I feel awful for them."


"I can understand that," Kent tells her. "For a few years, I thought that Houston was dead, so I know what they are going through."


"Only Deacon won't be coming back," Quinn gasps. "That's actually part of the reason why I am here."


Houston arches his eyebrow back to her. "You're reading to come back to work?"


"If you'll have me," Quinn shrugs back to him.


"We'd love to have you back," Kent smiles back to her. "Let's set up a meeting later this week and we will go over the details of your next venture."


"That sounds great," Quinn smiles back to them. "I really appreciate this."


***


"How is it possible that my niece and nephew are getting so big?" Lex chuckles to Stacey as they sit next to one another on the sofa in the guest house that she is living in that is on the ground of the Rockwell mansion.


"I have no idea where the time has gone," Stacey chuckles back to him. "But I am glad that you were able to squeeze some time in with them. They really love seeing their Uncle Lex."


"I love them too, Stacey," Lex looks back at her. "And I love you too, I am so glad that you're back home. It's where you belong."


"Thanks," Stacey smiles to him. "The time away did me a lot of good; I was able to clear my head and realize what is important. How are you doing? Things with Casper are still going well?"


Lex nods back to her. "I never thought that I would be this happy," he admits to her. "After all the missteps I've had with my exes, being in a happy, committed relationship feels really good. And I don't see that changing any time soon."


***


Celeste rushes up to the front door of the Blackmore mansion and opens the door, without knocking. She is determined to see Madison because Cole just informed her that he could be the father of Rocky. Celeste can't believe that this is happening, but she will get to the bottom of it.


"Madison? Where the hell are you?" Celeste yells as she rushes into the living room and sees her rival about pour herself a drink.


Madi turns in surprise and sets her glass down. "How did you get in here? I didn't hear the doorbell?"


"I didn't ring the damn doorbell," Celeste glares back at her. "Because I knew you wouldn't let me in and we have to get a few things straight."


Madi shakes her head in disbelief. "Let me guess? Cole filled you in on the fact that he is father now. He fathered my beautiful Rocky."


"Did he?" Celeste asks her quickly. "Or is this some attempt to get him back?"


"You have no idea what you're talking about," Madi tells her. "How dare you come into my family home and accuse me of lying about my son's paternity! That is something you would do, you know?"


Celeste slaps her hard across the face, which causes Madi to fall back a little. "Don't you ever question me again!" Celeste yells at her.


"Who do you think you are?" Madi gasps back at her before she slaps Celeste back. "You don't come into my house and slap me."


"You bitch!" Celeste sneers at her as she lunges as Madi, and they fall to the ground and start wrestling with each other as they scream in horror.


Madi manages to throw Celeste into the large Christmas tree, which starts to shake, and it comes crashing down on top of the two women, who scream! The crash causes concern for Vivian and Chase, who rush into the living room and look in horror at the sight.


"What on earth?" Vivian asks as she rushes up to the tree and lifts it up, allowing Madi and Celeste to emerge beneath the tree. "What are you two doing?"


"We just had to get a few things off our chests," Madi glares back at Celeste. "And now, this bitch is leaving. And Celeste, don't you ever step foot in this house again."


Celeste huffs and quickly rushes away, leaving Madi with her parents and trying to explain how the Christmas tree is ruined.


***


The following morning, a stoic Sabine moves into the living room of the Rockwell Mansion. She feels her eyes swell with water as she looks at the large Christmas tree, knowing that the big day is right around the corner. With her face scar still present, she is finding herself even more emotional this holiday season.


"There are some suitcases in the foyer," Mac announces to his lover moves into the living room and notices Sabine looking at the Christmas tree. "Were you planning a last-minute holiday getaway?"


Sabine slowly turns around and looks back at him. "I…I was hoping to be gone before you woke up," she admits to him, which causes him to look at her in surprise.


"You wanted to leave without saying goodbye? Sabine, what is going on?" Mac asks her as moves closer to her.


"I'm…I'm leaving Kelsey Lake, Mac," she whispers back to him. "I was able to get an appointment with a specialist that deals with scars in New York City."


"That is fantastic news!" Mac smiles back to her. "I hope this goes well, I really do. That still doesn't explain why you were going to leave without saying goodbye, Sabine."


"Because," she looks into his eyes as she feels her eyes swell with more water. "I…I don't know when I'll be back Mac, and I don't know if this procedure, or procedures, will work or not. And I don't want you to wait for me; you're a young, strong, sexy man; you deserve to have a woman on your arm, Mac."


"I don't want any woman on my arm; I want the woman I love," Mac tells her. "And that's you, Sabine. I don't care about your scar, I care about you."


A single tear falls down her cheek as she looks back into his eyes. "Please, just remember what I said, don't wait for me, Mac. Life your life to the fullest."


***


Dane moves into the country club and walks towards the dining room, where he sees Lucinda about to take a sip of her Bloody Mary at her table. He knows that she requested that he meet her for breakfast this morning, and he can only imagine what this is all about. As he moves past the large Christmas tree that is in the dining room, he can hear the soft Christmas music playing in the background and he realizes that Christmas day is just a couple days away.


"Good morning," he announces to her as he sits across from her at the table just as Lucinda sets her glass down on the table. "I am guessing this request to meet was important since we have barely seen one another since I bailed Dyhannah out of jail."


"It is very important," Lucinda replies to him, as he recalls how the previous day when she saw Dane having a close encounter with Dyhannah at the country club. "This is about us and our future, Dane."


"Does that mean that you're, finally, ready to set a wedding date?" Dane asks her with excitement. "I mean, we've been engaged for a while now, Lucinda. And you know, there is nothing more than I want for us to become husband and wife. My goodness, this could be the best Christmas present ever!"


"You're getting ahead of yourself, Dane," Lucinda coldly replies to him. "The reason I asked you to meet me here was not to discuss our wedding plans. The exact opposite, in fact."


Dane arches his eyebrow back to her. "What are you saying?"


Lucinda slowly pushes a small black box across the table until it is in front of him. "Inside that box," Lucinda looks at him with intent. "Is the ring you gave me. I am returning to it you, Dane. You and I, we will not be married today, tomorrow or ever. This is, in fact, a goodbye breakfast."


Dane feels the blood drain from his face as this was the last thing he was expecting to hear from Lucinda. "What? Where…where is this coming from?"


"It has been a long time in the coming," Lucinda continues to be ice cold with him. "But yesterday, I saw you with Dyhannah, and it was the final straw. I…I can't marry a man that wants to have a relationship with that woman. She…she has been doing hurtful things to my family, and she needs to be stopped."


"She's my daughter!"


"Yes, yes," Lucinda waves her hand in the air. "You're a father, again, and you want to make up for the fact that you weren't a father to Mac, I get it. But if that's your choice, then you must live with the consequences of it, Dane. And I am not going to have that woman in my life in any capacity. I've arranged for some movers to come to the mansion to collect your belongings; they'll be sent to a suite here, assuming this is where you'll stay?"


"Lucinda…" Dane starts to plead with her but she rises from her chair.


"If that changes, please call the house and let the butler know. Otherwise, ta ta, Dane."


Dane watches Lucinda storm away from the table, reeling from the fact that she just ended their relationship days away from Christmas.


***


A short time later, Dane is stepping off the elevator and quickly makes a beeline towards Dyhannah's suite at the country club. He is rattled from the fact that Lucinda just ended their engagement, and relationship, because he is trying to have a relationship with his long-lost daughter.


"Dane, I wasn't expecting you," Dyhannah announces as she opens the door and sees her father standing there. "Is everything okay?"


"No, nothing is okay," Dane replies to her as he moves into the suite. "Lucinda, she just ended our relationship."


Dyhannah arches her eyebrow back to him. "Really? I thought you two were planning your wedding?"


Dane chuckles back to her. "She put that on hold a while ago, and yesterday, remember when you and I saw each other at the club, and I was comforting you over Deacon?"


"I do."


"Well, Lucinda saw us," Dane reveals to her. "And she wasn't happy that I was comforting my daughter, who just lost her son. She said that I made my decision to get to know you instead of being with her."


"That woman, that family, they always think that they are the end all, be all of everything," Dyhannah huffs back at him. "This is exactly why I was working to make them pay."


"Now you have someone who wants the same thing," Dane looks back at her. "Whatever you need help with, I will help you, Dyhannah. I want to make Lucinda, and the Rockwell's pay."


"Are you sure about this?" Dyhannah asks him quickly. "Lucinda is your former lover, your former fiancé, the mother of your son, Mac, who is also a Rockwell."


"Lucinda has been stringing me along for months, only to end our relationship when the secret that she was keeping from me came out," he tells her. "So, yes, I want to make her, and the family pay. Let's rock them, together."


***



Quinn opens the door to the main office of Blackmore Ltd. and moves inside. She sets her large bag down on the sofa before she looks over at the desk and sees Kent sitting behind his laptop.


"You're here early today," she purses her lips together as she moves closer to the desk.


Kent looks up at the beautiful, younger woman that is standing in front of him. "Have you ever heard what they say about the early bird catching a certain worm?"


Quinn giggles back to him. "I suppose you have a good point, Kent," she tells him. "Is there anything that I can help you with? I know you said that I could have my job back, but when I was working here last time, I was the lead model. I'm not sure if you still want me to be a model or if you have another position for me?"


Kent looks back at her and notices how beautiful she is. He knows that he shouldn't be attracted to her, but, considering Stacey has ended their relationship and Vivian has signed the divorce papers, he is a free agent.


"You're a beautiful woman, I think you'd be a great lead model," Kent replies to her quickly.


"You're too sweet," Quinn tells him. "I haven't had a man tell me that in a long time, not since before Deacon's death."


"Well, if you're going to be a model, Quinn," Kent chuckles back to her. "You better get used to guys telling you that, because I will not the only guy that will tell you that."


"For some reason, it seems to mean more coming from you," Quinn tells him as they lock eyes. "You have a, how do I say this, a reputation about being a ladies man."


Kent continues to chuckle to her. "That I am, and I am proud of that," he winks back to her.


***


"Okay, okay," Stacey puts her hands up as Drake and Poppy start to argue about which Disney DVD they want to watch. "We will watch 'Beauty and the Beast, the Enchanted Christmas', first and then we will watch 'A Mickey's Christmas Carol', okay?" she tells her kids, who scurry to the sofa to get ready for the movies that they are watching. "Alright, now that it's playing, I'll go make you some popcorn, okay?"


"Yay, popcorn!" Drake says in delight, as Poppy claps her hands.


Before Stacey can move to the kitchen, she hears the doorbell ring. "You two keep watching the movie, I'll be right back with the popcorn."


She moves to the front door of the guest house and opens it. "Houston," she says seeing her former lover standing at the door with some large Christmas presents in his arms. "You look like you've bought out a few toy stores."


Houston cackles as he moves inside the house before he sets the presents down. "I see the kids are enthralled by a movie right now."


"They love their Christmas movies," Stacey replies to him. "I was just about to make some popcorn."


"Oh, with M&M's?"


Stacey chuckles back to him. "You always did love that sweet and salty combo," she winks to him as she recalls their past times together. "Hey, are you busy the rest of the afternoon?"


"Uh, no, why?" he asks her quickly.


"Why don't you stay and watch the holiday movies with me and the kids?" she asks him quickly. "And yes, I have M&M's for the popcorn."


Houston laughs back to her. "I'd like nothing more than to spend some time with you and the kids, Stacey."

***


That evening, Casper peels Lex's legs off his shoulders before he collapses next to his lover as they just finished having intense sex with one another. Lex smiles over at his lover, who lays next to him, before he leans over and kisses him passionately.


"I needed that so badly," Lex tells him as their lips part ways.


"I could tell," Casper chuckles back to him. "I'm glad that I could give that to you, cause I needed it too."


"That's why we are a good match," Lex replies to him. "I really think that, by the way. You and I, we are good together, Casper."


"I am glad you think so because I have no intentions of going anywhere," he tells him before he leans in and kisses him on the lips. Things are starting to escalate between the men again, when a cell phone rings. "Ugh," Casper groans as he leans up. "Whoever that is has the worst timing."


"Don't answer it?" Lex suggests to him as he runs his hand over Casper's toned chest.


"It's my work ring tone, I should get it," Casper tells him as he stands up from the bed. "Since my office closed, I need all the freelance work I can get."


"I get it."


Casper rushes over to the dresser where his phone is but he feels the blood drain from his face when he sees the caller ID. "Hello," he says answering the call before he uneasily looks at Lex, who looks back at him. "Yea, this really isn't a good time. Can I call you back?"


Lex arches his eyebrow, wondering why Casper isn't taking the call seriously when he just told him that he needs all the work right now.


"Sorry about that," Casper says crawling back on to the bed. "Where were we?"


***


Houston steps off the elevator at Blackmore Ltd. with a huge grin on his face as he just spent the afternoon with Stacey, Drake and Poppy watching holiday movies. He is thrilled that he has, finally, been able to spend time with his family without having any drama associated with it. He knows that Stacey had been conflicted with her romance with Kent, which makes sense considering their connection. He is just glad that Kent and Stacey are finally putting their fling behind them.


As he moves closer to the door of the main office, he pauses as he can hear some odd noises. He can hear a man grunt and a female squeal in delight, in what sounds like two people engaged in intense sex. He pauses as he looks at the door and wonders if he should leave whoever it is alone, but when he hears another loud grunt, he can't help but wonder who is in the office; surely, he would want to tell Kent if someone was using his office for some sex.


He opens the door and gasps in shock as he sees Quinn bent over the desk and Kent is entering her quickly, his father letting out another loud grunt as he gets closer to his climax and she is, clearly, enjoying him. Houston, quickly, closes the door quietly and tries to comprehend what he just witnessed.


***


A short time later, Houston returns to the main office and slowly opens the door. He breathes a sigh of relief when he sees his father, fully dressed, sitting behind the desk, working on his laptop again. He is also grateful that Quinn is not in the office, as this will give him the opportunity to discuss what he witnessed earlier.


"Busy morning?" Houston asks him as he moves closer to the desk, as he hopes that his father had the decency to use some Lysol wipes on the desk after his encounter with Quinn.


"Very, but most productive," Kent smiles back to his son. "One of the best mornings I've had in a while, I'd say."


Houston uneasily chuckles back to him. "I can only imagine why," he replies to him as Kent looks back at him in surprise.


"What's that supposed to mean?"


Houston gulps back to him as he prepares to tell his father that he witnessed his sexual encounter with Quinn earlier. At the elevator bay, however, Chase steps out and moves towards the office as he wanted to discuss with Kent what his plans are with Vivian and Madi over Christmas, as he was thinking he could spend the time with them. He pauses at the door, however, when he hears the conversation that is unfolding inside.


"I was here, Dad," Houston looks back at Kent, as Chase listens at the door. "I saw you and Quinn, right there on the desk, having sex."


Kent blushes back to him. "I should have locked the door, I'm sorry you saw that, Houston. But, you're an adult; you know what happens between a man and a woman."


"That's not what I'm upset about," Houston sighs back to him. "Quinn, she's one of our employees, you sleeping with her, it could lead to some bigger issues at the company. It's…it's wrong, Dad."


"Don't you worry about anything," Kent reassures him. "Quinn and I are both adults and I can handle this situation."


At the door, Chase quickly heads back to the elevator, his head spinning over the fact that Kent and Quinn have become lovers.


***


Chase opens the door to the country club and moves inside as he is desperate for a drink after learning that Kent and Quinn slept together. He moves to the bar and quickly orders a whiskey, just as Vivian sits next to him.


"Whiskey?" Vivian chuckles to him. "Must have been a difficult morning."


"You have no idea," Chase replies to her quickly. "How was your morning? Did you see Rocky?"


"I did," Vivian smiles as she thinks about her grandson. "He is the light of my life."


"I am so proud of Madi," Chase tells her. "She is a wonderful mother to Rocky."


"It is amazing, isn't it?" Vivian giggles to him as they lock eyes. "We have created this family, together, Chase, and I couldn't be more pleased."


Without thinking about anything, Chase leans over and kisses Vivian softly on her lips. The kiss lasts for only a moment before they pull away and look into one another's eyes.

"What was that for?" Vivian asks him quickly.


"For making me remember that I still have things to live for," he whispers back to her. "I've been in a terrible funk since Deacon, and you, you just have this way of reminding me that not all is lost."


Vivian smiles back to him as he looks over her shoulder and sees Dyhannah and Dane walking into the country club. He sighs a little.


"Will you excuse me for a moment?" he asks Vivian, who nods back to him. He stands up and quickly moves up to Dyhannah and her father, which Vivian notices and arches her eyebrow.


"I'm glad that I ran into you," Chase tells Dyhannah before he looks at Dane. "Merry Christmas, Dane."


"Same to you," Dane replies to him quickly.


"What's going on?" Dyhannah asks her former lover. "Has something happened?"


"Something has," Chase nods back to her. "Quinn…she's moved on. She's no longer grieving our son."


Dyhannah looks back at him in surprise. "How do you know that?"


"Because," Chase begins to reveal his news to her. "She's sleeping with someone else now. She's in bed with Kent Blackmore."


***


The following morning, Dyhannah steps off the elevator at Blackmore Ltd. and starts to move towards the main office. Ever since Chase revealed to her that Kent and Quinn became lovers, she has been racking her mind about how she can use that information to her advantage, and she has finally come up with an idea. Now, she just has to execute her plan.


"It's Christmas Eve, and you're still at the office," she chuckles as she stands in the doorway of the office and sees Kent behind his desk. "Do you ever take a break?"


Kent looks back at her and laughs back with her. "I will tomorrow and maybe the day after," he stands up from his chair. "Merry Christmas, Dyhannah. It's good to see you now that you're out of jail."


"Yes, well, I still have some charges pending against me," she sighs back to him as she puts her purse down on the sofa. "But yes, I am happy to be a free woman. And that's why I am here, Kent. You and I, we have unfinished business."


Kent's laugh turns nervous. "I am scared to even ask, Dyhannah."


"You and I, we still have common enemies in the Rockwell's. I think, together, we can still pay them pay and show them that they don't run this fucking world," Dyhannah tells him as she purses her lips together. "What do you say? Let's finish what we started? Let's take down that family, once and for all?"


Kent crosses his muscular arms across his chest and looks back at her. "I am tempted, Dyhannah, no doubt, but you and I, we can't work together. Not anymore; the last time, you got arrested and I barely escaped charges. I appreciate you wanted to get revenge, but you're going to have to count me out."


***


A short time later, Dyhannah is pacing back and forth in her suite at the country club, her mind racing over the fact that Kent turned her down to get back at Mac and the rest of the Rockwell family. She knows, however, that she still has an ace up her sleeve, and she is planning on using it.


"Hitting them through Rockwell Mining is the best way to get revenge on that damn family," she whispers to herself. "I know Kent said that he wouldn't help me because of our last attempt to bring down the Rockwell's, but I refuse to let this go. He will help me, he just doesn't know it yet."


Before she can say anything else, she hears a knock on her door. She moves and opens it, revealing Quinn on the other side. "Quinn, thank you for coming over."


"Of course," Quinn replies to her as she moves into the suite. "I…I can only imagine how difficult the next few days will be for you and Chase; the first Christmas without Deacon, I mean."


Dyhannah turns away from Quinn so the younger woman doesn't see the tears filling her eyes. "That's part of the reason why I asked you here," Dyhannah takes a deep breath to prevent herself from crying. "It seems that you have moved on from my son, which is fine. But if you want to make it up to me, and Chase, for your role in his death, you will do exactly what I tell you, do you understand me?"


"I…I…uh…I'm not sure what that means?"


"Do you want to make amends or not, Quinn?"


"Yes, yes, of course I do," Quinn nods back to her. "What do you want me to do?"


Dyhannah gets a grin on her face. "I thought you'd never ask…"


***


"I know that it's Christmas Eve, but I just got off the phone with the designers, and they have the pink diamonds in their hands," Lex announces to Mac as he moves into the main office at Rockwell Mining. Lex moves up to the desk, where Mac is sitting behind and sets the file down on the desk.


Mac looks back at his son in surprise. "Really? I was thinking they'd get the diamonds after the holidays, so this is fantastic news."


"Agreed," Lex nods back to him. "They won't start working with the diamonds until the new year, but that is also expected. The key is that they can get started as soon as the holidays are over."


"I will send Natasha an email to let her know," Mac replies to his son. "I don't want to call her in case she is already with her family."


"Once you send that email, how about we head home and have some eggnog with the rest of the family?" Lex suggests to him. "After all, it's Christmas."


"I love the sound of that," Mac smiles back to him, as he starts to type the email to Natasha.


***



Lucinda moves into the living room of the Rockwell mansion and sees Lydia about to make herself a rum and eggnog. She looks around the room and realizes that they are alone, which is what she had hoped.


"Make mine a double while we chat?" Lucinda asks as she moves up to her daughter in-law.


"Only if that means you have good news for me?" Lydia chuckles back to her, as she starts to make the drinks.


"Sabine left for New York this morning," Lucinda reveals to Lydia, who passes her the drink. "And before she left, she told Mac not to wait for her."


"What? Are you sure about this?" Lydia asks her in surprise, before she takes a sip of her drink.


"I am positive," Lucinda replies to her quickly. "Now, I've kept my end of the bargain, Lydia. It's time you do the same. I want power of attorney over Levi, and I want it now."


***


"Oh my goodness," Stacey chuckles the next morning, Christmas morning, as she tries to make her way through the sea of wrapping paper that is on the floor from the opened presents that Drake and Poppy have torn into. "You two have made quite the mess."


"They are loving their new toys though, aren't they?" Houston comes up to her with an eggnog for her. "Do you think we spoiled them?"


Stacey takes a sip of the drink and looks back at Houston. "We did," she chuckles to him. "But isn't that part of the fun of Christmas? I mean, after all, they will only be this age for so long."


"I suppose that's true," Houston smiles back at her. "This has been a nice Christmas morning, Stacey. Thanks for letting me be here today, I really appreciate."


"Today is about family, and you, Houston, are family," Stacey replies to him. "Merry Christmas."


***

Meanwhile, at the Rockwell mansion, the living room is filled with Christmas cheer as the presents have been opened from under the tree and the Rockwell's are celebrating the day together.

Lex grabs another glass of eggnog and moves closer to the Christmas tree, where Casper is standing looking out of the window, seeing a fresh snow fall come down in Kelsey Lake.

"Merry Christmas, my handsome man," Lex says as he puts his arm around Casper, who looks back at him with a smile.

"Merry Christmas, Lexington," Casper replies to him. "Thank you for having me here today, with your family. It really means a lot to me."

"You are with me," Lex reminds him. "And so, you are a part of this family, Casper."

Casper leans over and kisses him passionately. "I love you," he whispers back to him.

"I love you too," Lex tells him. "But something has been on my mind."

Casper arches his eyebrow back to him. "What?"

"The other day, you told me that you needed to take as many freelance jobs as possible but when you answered the call, you pushed them aside. Why did you do that? Who called you?"

***

Cole, meanwhile, moves up to Celeste and hands her a small box. She looks back at him in surprise as she thought that all of the presents had been handed out.

"What's this?"

"Something that I wanted to get for you," Cole admits to her. "It's nothing major, but it is for you, Celeste."

Celeste slowly unwraps the present and gasps at what she sees inside. "Oh Cole, it's beautiful," she tells him as she holds up a pendant in the form of the letter 'C'. "You…you really shouldn't have."

"I wanted too," Cole replies to her. "I know we have some things to navigate through, but I do…I do care about you, Celeste."

Before Celeste can respond, the doorbell rings. Cole knows that the staff are busy preparing Christmas dinner, so he looks at Celeste. "I'm going to get the door."

Celeste follows Cole into the foyer, not wanting to lose the moment that they were sharing. He opens the door and sees Madison standing there.

"Madi, hi, Merry Christmas," he says as she moves into the foyer, eyeing Celeste.

"Merry Christmas Cole," she responds to him. "I…I have a present for you."

Cole looks back at Celeste and then looks back at Madison. "What is it?"

"The DNA test results," Madison replies to him. "They came in yesterday, but I wanted you to see them today."

Cole takes the envelope and gulps heavily. He opens it and reads the document inside. "My God," he gasps as he looks at Madison with a smile on his face. "Rocky…he's my son? I'm…I'm a father!" he pulls Madison into a hug, who looks at Celeste over Cole's shoulder with a grin on her face.

"Yes, Cole," she replies to him. "We share a son together. We are parents to that little boy."

***

"Another year in the books, huh?" Lydia asks Mac as she takes a sip of her champagne, who is looking at the empty stockings that are hanging over the fireplace mantel.

Mac turns to his former wife with a grin on his face. "Indeed, but we have this fantastic family that help us through the days, weeks, months and years."

Lydia chuckles back to him. "Merry Christmas, Mac."

"Merry Christmas, Lydia," he replies to her. "Have you heard from Sabine?"

"I have," Lydia nods back to him. "She's settling in New York. And, she's expecting to meet with her doctor after the holidays."

"I hope it all goes well with her."

"Me too," Lydia tells him. "But what matters most, is what is right in front of us, right now."

Mac looks back at her in surprise. "What does that mean?"

"I mean this," she replies to him as she leans in and kisses him on the lips. The kiss only lasts for a moment before they part ways.

"What was that for?" Mac asks her as he licks his lips.

"Look above you," Lydia grins at him, as Mac looks up and sees the mistletoe. "It's bad luck to not kiss under a mistletoe, Mac."

***

Kent opens the door to the penthouse and moves inside. He spent the morning at the Blackmore estate with Vivian, Houston, Madison and Chase, but he wanted to come home once Houston went to see Stacey and the children as he didn't feel like he fit in with his ex-wife, Chase and their daughter.

"Another Christmas comes and goes," he says as he looks at his Christmas tree. "I can't wait to take all this shit down."

He is about to pour himself a drink when he hears the doorbell ring. He moves up to the door and sees a young man standing there.

"Kent Blackmore?" he asks as Kent nods to him. "You've been served."

Kent takes the papers in his hand as the man walks away. "What the hell?" Kent asks him in shock as he opens the envelope. He sighs as he sees that Quinn has filed a sexual harassment suit against him. "Jesus."

"Trouble in paradise?" Dyhannah asks him as she moves up to the door, which is still open. "I'm sure I can help you with that, but it will cost you."

"What the hell do you want, Dyhannah?" Kent barks back at her.

"That lawsuit, it can go away, but only, and I mean only, if you agree to help me take down the Rockwell's. What do you say, Kent? Make my Christmas wish come true? Help me ruin the Rockwell's?"