Written by: Dallas Walsh

Mac Rockwell opens the door to his mansion and rushes inside, desperate to escape the down pouring rain that is still coming down quickly and furiously. In some ways, he is surprised that he was able to catch the last flight home from Russia considering the storm outside; but he is glad that he did, because he missed his wife, Celeste Rockwell. Since they just got married, he wants to be with her as much as possible.

"Celeste, darling, I'm home," he calls out, as he puts his umbrella away. He assumes that she will still be awake and reading in the living room or having a brandy in the parlor. When she doesn't emerge, he realizes that she must be upstairs. "She's probably relaxing in the bedroom," he tells himself, as he moves to the staircase and starts walking up.

Meanwhile, in the master bedroom, Cole Rockwell kisses Celeste on the lips as they lay naked next to each other on the king size bed, having just finished making love to one another. "I can't tell you how badly I needed you," he says in between kisses with her.

"I could tell," she grins back to him, as she sits up in the bed as another bolt of lightning flashes across the sky.

Outside in the hallway, Ingrid, a maid in the mansion comes up to Mac. "Welcome home, Mr. Rockwell. Can I get you anything before you turn in for the night?"

Mac looks back at Ingrid and nods. "How about you bring up a bottle of champagne for Celeste and I? I think we have a lot to celebrate."

"Oh my God," Celeste whispers to Cole in horror, as she looks at him and turns pale as a ghost, hearing her husband outside the bedroom. "Mac is home! He's right outside! What are we going to do?"

Cole jumps out of the bed and looks around the room. Quickly he grabs his clothes and hides under the bed. Celeste, meanwhile, puts her robe on and tries to act as normal as possible as the door to the bedroom opens and Mac emerges.

"Darling, I'm home," he smiles as Celeste turns from her makeup table and looks shocked to see her husband. "I caught an early flight. I couldn't wait to see you."

Celeste stands up and rushes into his arms. "Oh, what a beautiful surprise this is," she gulps, as she holds him, worried that Cole is under the bed.

They exit their embrace and he kisses her on the lips. "I could use my wife right about now," he winks back to her. "How about you show me how much you missed me?"

Celeste giggles back to him as Cole rolls his eyes under the bed, not needing to hear his father tell his lover that he wants her. "I have a better idea," she tells him. "You've been travelling all night, why not take a quick shower so you're refreshed. I'll ask Ingrid to bring us some thing to eat and we can catch up. How does that sound?"

"That sounds great, I am hungry," he agrees with her.

Celeste nods back to him. "Good, go for your shower and I'll get things organized here."

Mac kisses his wife on the lips again. "You're too good to me."

"I love you too," she says back to him as he proceeds to walk into the master washroom. Once the door is closed, she bends down to the ground and moves her hand to indicate for Cole to come out from under the bed.

"That was close," he whispers to her, but she refuses to talk to him. She moves to the door and opens it, and pushes him into the hallway.

"We'll talk later okay," she tells him before she closes the door. She leans up against the door and tries to catch her breath from everything that just happened, but at least she didn't get caught.

***

"I thought I'd find you here," Houston Blackmore announces to Stacey Rockwell, as he comes into the cafeteria of the Kelsey Lake mine. He knows that when it rains this much, it's almost impossible to get in and out of the mine this late at night because of the mud. Vehicles are likely to get stuck, unless you have a pickup truck, and Stacey never struck him as a truck kind of girl. "Did you think you could run away from me that easily?"

Stacey looks back at him with tears in her eyes. "I think we said everything that we needed to say, don't you?" she asks him, knowing that after they made love for the first time, she was upset because she realized that Mac would never be okay with her sleeping with a miner. They come from different classes and one that Mac would not support it, she knows that very well.

"That's not fair to me and you know it," he spits back to her. "I thought we just shared a magical evening together, are you telling me you didn't feel that too?"

"You know I did!" she cries back to him. "But that doesn't change my how my family, my father in particular, will react to this."

"To what?" he challenges her. "Does your Dad know every man you sleep with?"

"Of course not," she tells him. "But if we move this into a relationship, how do you thik he'll feel?"

"I don't care how he'll feel because he's not the one in the relationship!" Houston yells at her. "But you know what, that's fine. You just dump me without even knowing who I am."

Stacey freezes by his words. "What do you mean? Who are you?"

"Blackmore," he reveals to her as she gasps. "I'm Houston Blackmore."

"Kent's son?" she asks him in confusion. "That doesn't make any sense. Your Dad owns this place, why would you be working in the mine?"

Houston folds his arms across his chest. "Probably the same reason you're working in this cafeteria," he tells her. "You want to find your own way without a hand out from your family."

"That is one of the reasons why I took this job," she admits to him.

"Yea, I want to run my Dad's company one day, but you know what? I want to have the respect of everyone and I will have that by working my way up," he explains to her. "Now, do you still think your Dad would be upset if we were together?"

Stacey tries to smile but she can't. "My Dad hates your Dad so much, I don't know how he will feel about this but I know it won't be good."

***

"It looks like the rain is about to stop," Lydia Rockwell tells Kent Blackmore as she looks out the window of her penthouse.

"That's good, it was quiet the storm," he comes up to her and tells her before he kisses her forehead. "You look deep in thought, what is going on in that pretty little mind of yours?"

She sighs and moves past him. She knows exactly what is on her mind, but she wonders if she should reveal to him what is going on with her. "I think you know what I've been thinking about," she cryptically tells him.

"Does this have anything to do with my suggestion that you try to obtain Cole, Lex and Stacey's shares of Rockwell Mining so you can take over the company from Mac?" he asks her, knowing that he suggested this to her because Lydia was worried that Mac had hired a private investigator to see if they can uncover any details as to how Mac lost the Kelsey Lake mine all those years ago.

"Of course it is," she admits to him. "I know you think it's a good idea, and I rather like the possibility of throwing Mac out on his ass from that company. I spent so many years being treated like the second fiddle with Mac and Rockwell Mining, it would be almost fitting. Plus, then you and I would be running the largest two diamond empires in the world."

"Those are all good reasons as to why you should try to do this," Kent tells her. "But I sense that you are also apprehensive about something."

"Is it that obvious?" she asks him with a sly grin on her face. "I'm worried about my children, of course. How would I possibly get their shares? Especially from Lexington, he loves Rockwell Mining so much. I know he would never give those shares to me."

"What don't you start with the children you could woo," Kent advises her. "Try to see where things stand with Cole and Stacey," he continues to tell her. "Should they be receptive to giving you their shares, you can then come up with a way to get Lex's shares as well. Start with the possible and work from there."

Lydia nods back to him. "You're right," she tells him. "Stacey and Cole are the two that I should start with. I can do this, but I have to be smart about it."

"You're never anything but," he grins at her as he comes up to her and kisses her. "You can do this, I know you can. And, together, we can run these empires!"

***

In following day, Lex Rockwell opens the door to Mac's office and moves inside, while reading a text message from Jarek Williams. "Can't wait to see you later tonight," Lex reads as he smiles to himself, knowing that things are back on track with him and Jarek after was upset with him for not wanting to move in together. Lex then saw Jarek with another man but Jarek told him that he is the only one that matters in his life. Which is good but Lex has fallen for Jarek; he needs him in his life.

"And, once things calm down here at Rockwell Mining," he whispers to himself. "I'll tell Mac and Lydia that I'm gay. They will accept me but I don't want anything else getting in the way of closing this Russia deal."

He moves over to the bar and pours himself a hot cup of coffee. Just as he is taking his first sip, Mac enters the office. "Dad, you're home?" Lex asks surprised to see him. "I didn't think you'd be home until later today."

"When you're a newlywed, you rush home so you can see your wife," Mac winks back at him. "One day you'll understand that."

Lex uneasily nods back to him. "How did it go with Kafelnikov?"

"As well as to be expected," Mac replies to him. "I'm expecting to hear back from him today."

"I guess we just have to wait and see," Lex says back to him, hoping that his father was able to close the deal. "Did he seem receptive to the idea of earning 5% on profits?"

Mac pours himself a cup of coffee. "He was a hard man to read," Mac informs him. "I'm thinking he liked the idea, but I can't be sure. I have a good feeling about it though. He was impressed that I was there, in person."

"That's great to hear," Lex tells him. "You'll let me know once you hear back from him?"

"Of course," Mac replies to him. "Now, how are things around here? Anything exciting?"

Lex shrugs his shoulders. "Celeste came to me and asked me about her design division."

"Ah, I see," Mac says back to him. "I told her that we would have talk again once I knew about the Russia deal. If that doesn't go through, then it doesn't make sense for us to put money into a new division, despite it being a great idea."

"I told her the same thing but she said she would talk to you about it," Lex informs him.

"Thank you for that. I will have a talk with my wife. Have you heard from the PI on his investigation into how we lost Kelsey Lake?"

"It's funny you asked me that," Lex tells him. "I was just about to give Larry a call to see where he stands."

"Put him on speaker so I can hear," Mac requests as Lex moves to the phone and dials a number.

"Larry Frondall, it's Lexington Rockwell, good morning," Lex says into the telephone.

"Good morning Lex," Larry's voice can be heard through the speaker.

"My father Mac is in the office with me," Lex informs Larry. "I'm calling to get an update on the investigation. Have you uncovered anything, anything at all?"

"Just the facts that I am sure you already know," Larry tells them. "We know that on April 24, 1996 Mac discovered Lydia in bed with Kent Blackmore. April 25th, Blackmore Ltd was able to outbid Rockwell Mining for the Kelsey Lake mine."

"This was before I was born, but not by much," Lex notes to everyone as he looks at Mac, who folds his arms, upset with the lack of new information

"You are correct, Larry, this is all information that I already knew. So, where do we go from here?" Mac asks Larry.

"I'm not sure what else there is to uncover, if I am honest. I can keep digging, but it seems like without knowing some more information, there might not anything else to uncover."

"I can't accept that," Lex tells him, trying to keep his cool. "We are paying you a lot of money. You must find something!"

"I will do what I can."

"Thank you Larry," Mac says before he disconnects the call. "You need to calm down, okay? Larry is doing his job. I knew these facts before."

"Something doesn't make sense to me," Lex tells him, as his mind starts to wonder. "The end of April this happens," he talks out loud to his father, as he thinks about the timing of everything.

"Yes, what are you getting at?"

Lex shakes his head. "Nothing, it was nothing," he lies to his father. "I'm going to go and grab some files that I need to work on. We'll touch base when you've heard from Kafelnikov?"

"Absolutely."

Lex leaves the office and stops in the hallway, his heart racing a million miles per-second. Lydia slept with Kent in April; the following year, Lex was born in January. He can't even say the words out loud, but his mind is racing a million miles per second. "It can't be, could it?"

***

"You are visiting me far too often," Odette Williams says to her son, Jarek, as he comes into her house. She knows that just the previous evening, Jarek stayed with her while the rain storm because she doesn't like being in the storms alone. They ended up bonding when they heard of the minor explosion at the Kelsey Lake mine because that's how her husband, Jarek's father, died.

"Are you complaining that you're seeing me again?" he flashes his grin to his mom.

"Not at all, I'm just surprised to see you again so soon. What can I get you? Coffee? Iced tea?" she asks him.

"How about just a water?" he replies to her as she opens a cupboard in the kitchen and grabs a glass for him. "How are you feeling today?"

"I'm fine dear, just fine, why do you ask?" she asks him as she passes him a cup of water.

"You got pretty emotional last night when you heard about the explosion at the mine," Jarek recalls with his Mom, who nods back to him.

"I'd rather not dwell on that," she tells him. "When are you seeing Lex again? I keep telling you to snag that fellow but nothing ever seems to move forward, why not? You know how much I want you two to be together!"

"And that's the other thing, Mom," Jarek replies to her quickly. "What is it with this obsession you have with me being with Lex? You've never even met the guy, I've only told you about him."

"I know, I know," she tries to keep calm. "It's just, what you have told me, he seems like a lovely young man. I want you to be happy, is that so bad?"

"Of course not," he says back to her. "But I get the feeling that there is more to this. And, I'm not leaving here until you tell me everything."

"Fine!" she yells. "I'll tell you but you won't like it. In fact, you'll probably hate me once I do tell you."

***

"So first, you don't want to be with me because you think I'm in a different class than you. Now, you're telling me you don't want to be with me because our father's hate each other?" Houston scuffs at Stacey, upset with how she is handling them sleeping together. "What's really going on with you?"

Stacey moves a piece of hair behind her ear. "I'm not sure I understand," she admits to him. "I'm trying to be honest with you. I know my Dad, you know your Dad, do you think they would be happy about us being together?"

"Probably not," Houston admits to her. "But you know what? I stopped caring about what he thinks of me a long time ago. I want to be happy and I want to live my life the way I want to. That's why I work here, he never liked this idea."

"And you want this?" she asks him, as their eyes lock.

He moves closer to her and puts his hand on her face. "Last night was one of the best nights of my life," he admits to her. "I've never felt a connection to anyone the way I felt it with you. Look into my eyes and tell me that you didn't feel it too."

She looks into his eyes and bites her lip. "I can't," she tells him as she kisses him on his lips. "You know I want you."

"I'm right here," he whispers to her in between kisses and she starts to undo the buttons on his shirt. "Let me make love to you."

She pulls away for a moment and looks into Houston's eyes. "God, I do want you too," she whispers as she kisses him again, this time more passionately than before.

***

Cole slowly comes down the stairs of the mansion, already dressed in a suit and tie as he has to get to the office because he knows that Mac will learn about the Russia deal today. He knows that the company's fiscal year is depending on this deal closing, however, he also hopes that Rockwell Mining loses the deal because he hates the idea that Mac bribed Kafelnikov into taking the deal.

"It's out of my control," he whispers to himself as he moves into the dining room and pours himself a cup of coffee. He turns around and sees Celeste emerge in the dining room, still wearing her robe. "Oh, good morning," he says with a sly grin on his face, recalling how the previous night in the storm, they had intense sex with each other. In his mind, the act was long overdue since he had wanted her since he first met her.

"Hi," she tells him, not making eye contact with him.

"How did you sleep?" he asks her, trying to make small talk.

"I didn't," she informs him. "After almost getting caught last night by Mac, I couldn't shut my brain off."

"But we weren't caught," he tells her. "And that's the important thing. I know that we have to tell Mac the truth about us, but that's not the way he should learn about us."

"Us?" she asks him, looking at him, as her large diamond ring catches the light. "There is no us, Cole."

"What do you mean?" he asks her as he sets his cup of coffee down. "Last night was…"

"A mistake," she harshly tells him. "A horrible mistake that can never happen again. I love my husband, your father. What we did, he can never find out."

Cole shakes his head in disbelief. "You don't mean that," he tells her coming up to her. "You wanted me as much as I wanted you."

"I stopped you from making a huge mistake with that bag of cocaine."

Cole laughs a little bit, trying to hide his shock and disappointment. "And then, when you were begging me for more…that was, what?"

"I told you," she says in a yelled whisper, so the staff doesn't hear her. "It was a mistake! Now you have to get that through your head and forget last night ever happened!"

***

"Sorry I'm late," Cole announces to Mac as he enters the office at Rockwell Mining, his mind still reeling from his talk with Celeste in the morning.. "I must have over slept. Have you heard about the Russia deal?"

"You're just in time, actually," Mac tells his on. "Lex is on his way, I just got off the phone with Kafelnikov. I'll tell you both at the same time."

"Sounds good," Cole replies to him. "I trust your flight was smooth?"

"It was," Mac informs him. "I got home early because I wanted to surprise my wife. She's a beautiful woman, you know."

Cole gulps. "Yea, I know," he manages to say back to his father, even though his mood isn't so great because Celeste just told him to forget about their night of passion. "You're a very lucky man."

"Don't I know it," Mac smirks back to him, just as Lex opens the door to his office and moves inside.

"So, what's the word on the Russia deal?" Lex asks him, curious to know about Rockwell's future.

Mac looks at his sons for a moment before he stands up from his chair. "I closed the deal! Kafelnikov accepted our offer! I've already asked accounting to adjust the numbers, to ensure they give Kafelnikov 5% of the profits."

"So, that's it," Cole scuffs at them, having hated this idea from the get go. "They accepted the agreement because we bribed them. I hope you guys are happy now!"

"Cole, please try to understand," Mac replies to him. "We needed this deal, no matter what it was going to cost us."

"What about our reputation? Does that mean nothing anymore?" Cole continues to lash out at his father, despite his real frustrations being about his conversation with Celeste earlier in the day.

"Of course it does," Mac protests to his son.

"You know what Cole," Lex interjects, fed-up with Cole's attitude. "You've been gone a year. I told you that things around here had changed since you left for rehab. This is one of those decision making processes that had changed. If you don't like it…"

"Lex, come on now," Mac stops him from saying anything else. "Cole is family and he has every right to be here and to express his opinion."

"No, you know what Dad," Cole spits at them. "Lex is absolutely right. If I don't like where the direction of this company is going, I shouldn't be here."

"What are you saying?" Mac asks him.

"I'm done," Cole throws his hands up in the air. "I don't agree with this at all, and if I don't agree with it, I can't support it. I quit!"

"Cole, please," Mac pleads with him, moving up to his son. "This doesn't have to end this way."

"I'm afraid it's already over, Dad," Cole tells him. "I appreciate that you brought me back here but it's obvious that I'm not needed here."

***

"Mom, you're not saying anything," Jarek tells Odette as he stands across from, still wanting the real reason that she is so desperate for him to be with Lex. "I want to know why you're so obsessed with me and Lex being together!"

"I'm not obsessed!" Odette yells back at him, as she moves out of the kitchen and into the living room, as Jarek follows her. "Do you see this?" she asks her son, holding a framed picture of his father.

"What does this have to do with Dad?" Jarek asks her, still confused by everything she is rambling about. "MacKenzie Rockwell was the owner of the Kelsey Lake mine when your father was killed in the explosion! He is responsible for the death of this man! He is the reason we have had to live the way we have for so long. He took the love of my life from me!"

"Oh Mom," Jarek replies to her as he comes up closer to her.

"No! I don't want nor need your sympathy right now," she continues to yell at him. "I want your understanding, I want you to really get why I want you to be with MacKenzie's son."

Jarek shakes his head in confusion. "I don't understand Mom, please tell me."

Odette looks around the living room of her house. "Look around baby," she says, calming herself down. "This house, these belongings…we could have had so much more. Did you know your father had his eyes on a foreman job? You know that the next step from foreman is the corporate office, right? But all of that was robbed from us because of the explosion."

"And you blame Mac for the explosion?" Jarek asks her shocked by her revelation.

"Your damn straight I do," Odette wags her finger at him. "We could have it all, had not been for Mac."

"That still doesn't explain why you want me with Lex so desperately."

"It doesn't?" she asks him, looking into his eyes. "Oh baby, I want you to be happy. But if that means you are with a Rockwell, and we could get our hands on some of that money that we are owed, that would be amazing."

"Mom!" Jarek shouts in horror.

"Don't you scold me!" she yells back at him. "With or without your help, I've come to realize that I will get what is rightfully ours. But you being with Lex, that would be the easy way in. I'm willing to go the hard way in to, either way the outcome will be the same. I will get what is owed to us from Mac Rockwell. Now, either you're in or you're out, what's it going to be Jarek?"

***

"Darling, I got your call and I came over as soon as I could," Lydia announces to Cole as she walks into the living room of Mac's mansion, and spots her son looking out the window. "Do tell me what has gotten you so upset?"

Cole sighs and looks back at his mother. "I'm going to have a drink, would you care for one?"

"That would be lovely," Lydia replies to him. "But only if it means you will tell me what's gotten you so upset."

"I quit my job today at Rockwell Mining," he reveals to his mother as he pours to brandy's. He walks over to her and passes it to her.

"I can't believe that you did that," she admits to him. "You know, Rockwell Mining is in your blood. You would be the next one to take over."

Cole shakes his head in frustration before he takes a sip of his brandy. "That would only be the case of Lex wasn't around," he informs her. "See, in my year away, he has really taken over the company, and frankly, I don't agree with how they are running things over there."

"But, to just walk away? Cole, are you sure this is what you want to do?"

"It's already done," he replies to her as he looks her in the eyes. "I've left and right now, I have no remorse. It's long overdue, actually."

"What are you going to do now?" she asks him, taking a sip of her brandy. Inside her head, however, the wheels start spinning, as she thinks about Kent's suggestion to get her children's shares of Rockwell Mining.

"I don't know," he confesses. "Everything has happened so quickly since I've been back in Kelsey Lake. I think having some time away from the company and just for me would be good. I just need time to breathe."

"That makes perfect sense," Lydia nods back to him. "However, you have to realize that you still have obligations to the company."

Cole arches his eyebrow. "I quit, Mom. What part of that didn't you understand?"

"But you're also a shareholder," she grins back to him. "You have 20% of the company. Stacey has 20% of the company. Lex has 5% of the company, which only happened because your father and I were not expecting to have another child. Mac has never gotten around to realigning the shares."

"Yea," Cole tells her. "That's exactly why I should have more authority at that company, not Lexington."

"You and your brother will have to come to terms that you're different people," Lydia replies to him. "But, I think it's a great idea, you having some time for you. I'd hate to see you relapse over stress from the company."

Cole nods back to her, and quickly realizes that he can't tell her that almost did cocaine the night before. "That's why, I have an idea," she purses her lips together. "Why not sign this proxy I have, giving me your shares. I will vote for you at the annual shareholders meeting and you can focus on yourself."

"I don't want to give up my shares Mom," he tells her.

Lydia waves her hand back to him. "No, I would never suggest that. The proxy states that I would control them for a year," she reveals to him. "After that year, you would get complete control back. This will just give you the time to sort yourself out. At least think about it, okay?"

Cole smiles and moves up to hug his mother. "You always know the right thing to say to me," he whispers in her ear. "You're right, I need a year off to get my life straight. I need to be here in the house without the pressure of Rockwell Mining hovering. I'll sign the paper work."

"Really? You will?" Lydia gasps that her plan is actually working.

"Just show me where," he winks back to her.

***

Upstairs in the master bedroom, Mac and Celeste lay in the bed covered in sweat, fresh from making passionate love.

"You need to come home from work early more often," she purrs to him, as she runs her hand over his chest. "I know you wanted me last night, but I was so tired."

"You certainly just made up for it," he smiles to his wife. "I came home early for a few reasons, I know I wanted you, right?"

"Of course I know that," she says back to him. "The feeling was very mutual. It is still mutual," she tells him. "I'm glad you're home. How did it go in Russia, by the way?"

"It was a success," he reveals to her as he crawls out of bed. "Kafelnikov accepted my offer."

"Oh Mac," Celeste smiles to him. "That's wonderful. You must be thrilled!"

"I am pretty happy," he admits to her. "This deal was really going to determine the rest of Rockwell Mining's fiscal year."

"So, what does that mean? Does this mean that you're willing to look into my design division?" she ask him, trying not to get her hopes up. "I spoke to Lex about this while you were gone."

"Yes, yes," Mac tells her as he passes her a brandy. "He told me. And let me be honest with you, Celeste. I love the idea, I really do. I do have to run the numbers passed my accounting team to see if it's possible. We made this deal, but we are losing 5% of our profits. I can't make any rash decisions without seeing the numbers."

"That's fine," she tells him. "As long as you're giving my idea a fair chance."

"I wouldn't do anything else."

***

"Hey, I'm glad you could come over," Jarek smiles to Lex, as his lover comes into his condo. "Can I get you a drink?"

"Yes, please," Lex responds to him. "Something strong, I've had a hell of a day."

"Really?" Jarek asks him as he pours Lex a scotch. "Anything you want to talk about?"

Lex sits on the sofa as his mind races about what the private investigator told him and Mac; that Mac found Kent and Lydia in bed together at the end of April, the following day, Kent outbid Mac for the Kelsey Lake mine. What's troubling Lex, however, is that he was born 9 months later. He can't help but wonder if Lydia has been lying about who he is father is; Lex knows he would die if Kent Blackmore was his real father and not Mac.

"Earth to Lex," Jarek says coming into the living room with the scotches. "Where were you just now?"

"I'm scared my entire life has been a lie," Lex admits to him cryptically, as he takes the scotch. "I got some news today and I don't know what it means, but I have to find out."

Jarek looks into Lex's eyes, as his own conversation with Odette's earlier in the day when she was telling him why she has a vendetta against the Rockwell's. He snaps out of his train of thought quickly.

"I want you to know something," Jarek tells Lex.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Anything you need from me while you try to figure this out, you know I'm here for you," he tells Lex ,their eyes locked together.

"That means so much to me," Lex replies to him as he sets his glass down and hugs Jarek. "Because if what I think is true, I'm going to need you more than ever before."

"And I'll be here for you," Jarek whispers into his ear, as his eyes look up at the picture of his mother sitting on his fireplace mantel. "Whatever you need, I'm yours Lex."