Written by: Dallas Walsh

"I'm glad you could tear yourself away from the mine to have lunch with me," Kent Blackmore tells his son, Houston Blackmore, as they sit across from one another at the country club on the patio. The patio umbrellas are already open as the sun is already beating down brightly this hot afternoon.

Houston picks up his beer and takes a sip. "I'm on a brief leave from work," he reveals to his father. "The foreman insisted after the explosion."

"I still can't believe that you were involved in that," Kent replies to him, recalling how upset he was to learn of the explosion. "You have no idea how worried I was for you. I am hoping that now you'll realize why you shouldn't be working in the mine at all. Come to work for me in the office," Kent continues to tell him, hoping to get Houston to see his side of things. "I can find an intern position for you so you can still feel like are working your way up the latter."

"I like my job, Dad," Houston replies to him quickly. "This explosion was just a freak accident, and I'll be fine."

Kent looks back at his son and sees something different about him. Something in his eyes makes Kent realize that something more is going on with his son. "Okay," Kent smiles back to his son. "Who is she?"

Houston looks up after taking a bit from his lobster roll. "What do you mean?" he asks him back, trying to be cool. He knows how Stacey Rockwell is worried about their families reacting the to the fact that they have been seeing one another because everyone knows the history between Kent Blackmore and Mac Rockwell and the fact that they hate each other.

"You just have this look in your eyes," Kent informs him quickly. "I used to have it too, when there was a new young, pretty girl I was interested in. So tell me, who is she?"

Houston picks up his beer and takes a mouthful. "See Dad, this is how I can tell that you're too complacent with Lydia Rockwell, you are jumping at straws with me. There is no new girl, I'm just in a good place right now."

"If you say so," Kent tells him as he shrugs his shoulders. "But I know that there is someone, I just hope that I'll get to meet her one day."

***

"Are you sure you're okay?" Jarek Williams asks Lex Rockwell as they sit next to one another in the waiting room of the hospital in Kelsey Lake. Jarek recalls how the previous day, Lex told him about the investigation at Rockwell Mining and his suspicions that Kent Blackmore, not Mac Rockwell, is his father because of the timing of when Mac found Lydia in bed with Kent, almost 9 months exactly before Lex's birth. Jarek knows that if this is the case, Lex would be absolutely devastated because he takes so much pride in the fact that he is a Rockwell and because Lex and Mac are as close as a father and son can be. Plus, Jarek also knows that Odette wanting him to be with Lex because he's a Rockwell, to avenge his father's death, could become even more complicated than it already is.

Lex sighs and still looks down at the ground, not wanting to see anyone's face right now because he is so nervous. "I'll be fine when this is all over," Lex admits to his lover. "I just want to see my file and go over every document in there," he tells him. "There must be something there, anything that will let me know if Mac is really my father."

"If nothing else, you can compare your blood types," Jarek tells him. "That will be a factor, won't it?"

Lex uneasily nods back to him. "I guess," Lex replies to him. "What if my blood is the same as Lydia's though? I don't know. I just want some kind of confirmation. I need that so desperately right now. "

Before Jarek can reply, a nurse comes into the waiting room. "Mr. Rockwell, you can come in now."

"Do you want me to come in with you?" Jarek asks Lex, who nods back to him. Jarek grabs his hand and they walk together through the waiting room. The nurse shows them a room with an opened door, where Lex's file is resting on a desk.

"You can have as much time with your file as you need," the nurse tells Lex. "It's not often a patient just wants to see their file and not a doctor. I hope you find what you're looking for."

"Thank you," Lex whispers back to her as he slowly moves to the desk and Jarek closes the door.

"Are you ready?" Jarek asks him. "Take a deep breath."

Lex opens the file and starts reading some notes. After a few flips of the pages, he looks up at Jarek. "Oh my God," he says as the blood drains from his face.

***

"Tell me, darling, how are you liking your time at the mine? I hope the job is everything that you thought it would be," Lydia Rockwell tells her daughter Stacey Rockwell as they sit in Lydia's penthouse' living room together.

Stacey stands up and pours herself a fresh cup of coffee. "It's going well," Stacey admits to her. "I know what you mean when you say that it isn't the ideal job but I'm learning a lot and I've met a lot of great people."

"I'm so pleased to hear you say that," Lydia replies to her as she smiles back to her daughter. "I've been talking to Kent and he agrees with me that when you are ready for a different position, we can offer you something within the office, if you'd like."

Stacey looks back at her with intent. "I'm not sure how Mac would feel about that. I think he assumes that eventually I will go to work for Rockwell Mining."

"You're free to jump ship, but it also makes sense that you move up within the company you already work at," Lydia tells her. "Plus, it's not really Mac vs. Kent anymore, not since I'm working at Blackmore Ltd. That ship has sailed."

"That's true," Stacey tells her. "I appreciate that offer, Mom."

"Well, I was thinking about something else," Lydia admits to Stacey. "And that is, while you're here at Blackmore Ltd, why not let someone else have control of your shares at Rockwell Mining? I mean, it's not like you'll have all the time to go to the sharehold meeting, and you do have 20% shares of the company."

"I don't want to give up my shares Mom, those are from Dad," Stacey tells her, as she takes a sip of her coffee.

"No, of course not, never," Lydia replies to her quickly. "I've drawn up papers that you could give me your proxy for a year. After the year is up, you would get full control of the shares back. But in the meantime, you could continue your career within Blackmore Ltd. After the year, if you want to jump back to Rockwell Mining you'd be free to do so. What do you say?"

Stacey smiles back to her Mom. "That's a very thoughtful offer Mom, but I'm afraid that I need to think about this before I say yes or no. I'll consider it and let you know?"

"I'll be here waiting," Lydia purses her lips together, hoping that she will be able to convince Stacey to give her the proxy. "But darling, I need to get ready for this pool party that Celeste is throwing at the mansion. I'll see you later?"

"Yes, Mom, I'll be there," Stacey smiles back to her as she comes up and kisses her Mom's cheek. "See you later."

Lydia walks to the stairs and quickly moves to the second level of her penthouse. She knows that she has to get Lex's shares and that he will be the most difficult child to convince. In fact, she knows that he will refuse to give her the shares. "Without Lex's shares, though," she whispers to herself. "I can't make this plan work."

She enters her washroom and opens her medicine cabinet. She looks for a bottle and finally finds a bottle with a couple of pills left in it. "These," she gets a wicked grin on her face. "Will help me get what I need from you, Lexington. God forgive me for what I'm going to do, but I have no other choice. I have to do this. You will understand, I have to believe that."

***

"I ain't heard from you since the other day when I told you about your Daddy," Odette Williams tells Jarek as he comes into his mother's house, fresh from the hospital visit with Lex. Like she said, he hasn't seen her since he learned that she has a vendetta out against Mac Rockwell because she blames him for the death of his father. Not only that, but because she believes he would have moved up the ranks at the company, giving them a lot more money. That is why she has been pressing him to have a relationship with Lex, because she thinks that if Jarek gets in tight with Lex, they can get some of the money that Odette feels is owed to them.

"I know, I'm sorry, it's been a busy couple of days," Jarek tells her before he kisses her on the cheek. "How've you been?"

"You know, same old, same old," she replies to him. "I gotta admit though, Jarek, I've been wondering where things stand with us. I told you the whole truth the last time you were here and I haven't heard from you. I was thinking you were upset with me. I know what I said came as a shock but I was just being honest."

"I'm glad you were honest, I could never be upset with you," he reveals to her. "I understand completely why you don't like Mac Rockwell., and why you feel like you're owed some of his money."

"You're not mad, thank goodness," she tells him. "Because I am not about to change my mind. And, now you know the whole truth."

"I know the whole truth," Jarek agrees with her. "I'm glad you finally told me. I needed to know."

"Yes, you did. But you never did tell me how you feel? Are you going to continue your relationship with Lex so we can try to get what is rightfully ours?"

Jarek closes his eyes for a moment and thinks about Lex grabbing his hand as they walked into the hospital room; Lex really leaned on him today, when he needed Jarek. Jarek knows that if he plays his cards right, he could help Odette with her plan. After everything Odette has done for him, he does owe her that much.

"Yea Mom," he smiles back to her. "I'm in. I'll help you. We will get what is owed to us. We will get our piece of the Rockwell fortune."

***

Cole pours himself a brandy in the living room of the mansion and takes a healthy sip of it. He turns around and looks outside into the garden, as his mind flashes back to Mac and Celeste's wedding day. He shakes his head, not wanting to have memories of Celeste marrying his father; he's had a long enough day to dwell on memories that are not flattering.

"I'm glad I found you, we need to talk," Mac announces to Cole as he comes into the living room. "Are you having a scotch or a brandy?"

"Brandy," Cole replies to him. "It is too early for scotch."

Mac smiles back to him as he pours himself a brandy. "I'm concerned about you, Cole."

"Are you?" Cole asks him in surprise. "There's no need to be worried about me, Dad, I'm fine."

"I'm not exactly pleased that you've decided to leave Rockwell Mining," Mac tells him, recalling how Cole quit the company because he didn't agree with the fact that he bribed the Russian's into accepting Mac's offer for their mine. Cole and Lex were butting heads over this decision, but Mac knew he had to go through with it because the company's fiscal outcome depended on it.

"It was time," Cole reveals to his father. "It's not personal, Dad, I just couldn't work there. Not right now. I need time for me."

"This isn't anything personal is it?"

"What do you mean by that?" Cole asks him as he turns to face his father. "I just told you it isn't."

"I'm the one who sent you to rehab last year, remember? Your mother kept telling me that you would resent me when you got back. Do you resent me for sending you away to get better?" Mac asks him, hoping that Cole isn't holding a grudge because all he wanted was for Cole to get healthy again.

"Of course not," Cole replies to him quickly. "I got better, Dad. How could I be mad about that? This is has everything to do with how I'm feeling about how things are being run at Rockwell Mining. I get that you felt like you had to close this mine deal, but it's not how I would have closed the deal. I guess I'm feeling like I need time to breathe. Everything has happened so quickly since I've been home, and I just want to make sure I'm taking care of myself first."

Mac comes up to him nodding his head. "I can't argue with that," he tells his son. "I don't want you to have any sort of relapse."

Cole gives him half a grin back. "Me either, I worked too hard to get where I am. One day, when I'm ready, I'll come back to work. Deal?"

Mac nods back to him. "Of course, you're always welcome at Rockwell Mining, it is your birth right."

***

Later that afternoon, Celeste emerges by the pool wearing a white bikini with a tied skirt around her waist. Since the day is so beautiful, she decided to throw a pool party so the family could spend the day together. She hopes it goes well, because it is her first time throwing a party at the mansion since she has become Mac's wife. As she looks out, she realizes that everyone has arrived, which is a good sign, considering some of the family drama that has been going on. She sees Lex and Stacey laughing over by the pool, Lydia and Mac making small talk and then her eyes stop at Cole. He's laying on a folding chair working on his tan; she can't help but lick her lips at the sight of his toned torso, glistening in the sun. She shuts her eyes for a moment and recalls her hands feeling his abs as he thrust deeply in her the night they made love. She shakes her head, knowing she has to forget that night ever happened.

"I need a drink or it'll be a long day," she whispers to herself. She moves to the bar and grabs a red plastic cup with a spiked punch that she had the kitchen staff prepare.

"Can I get everyone's attention?" she asks the family as everyone stops their interaction and looks at Celeste. "I just want to thank you all for coming here today. I thought since we are enjoying such a glorious summer, we should enjoy time together as a family. I hope this pool party is everything that you guys want it to be and more. To the Rockwell's!"

The family toasts to her as Mac comes up to and kisses her, unaware that Cole is watching them. "This was a lovely idea my darling," he whispers into her ear, thrilled that she is connecting with his family.

"I just hope everyone has fun," she smirks back to him.

Before he can reply, Lex comes up to them. "Celeste, do you mind if I have a word with my Dad?"

"Of course not," Celeste replies to him. "I'll go see how the chef is doing with the hamburgers."

Mac watches her leave before he turns his attention to his shirtless son. "Lex, I hope this isn't business related. Celeste had one request and that is that today is about family, and nothing more."

Lex nods his head back to him before he takes a sip of his beer. "I couldn't agree more," Lex smiles to him.

"You seem to be in a good mood," Mac observes. "What is it? What do you have to tell me?"

"It's a long story," Lex begins to tell him. "But after we got the information from Larry Frondall, I was worried about something."

"What were you worried about Lex?"

"That I wasn't your son," Lex reveals as Mac's face turns stone cold. "Just think about the timing; at the end of April, you caught Mom and Kent Blackmore in bed together, the next day you lost Kelsey Lake. 9 months later, I was born. I just figured that maybe I was a product of her affair with Kent."

"That's impossible," Mac replies to him, pulling him aside so no one else can hear what they are talking about.

"I know," Lex reveals to him. "I went to the hospital and asked to see my file. It looks like Lydia actually had a paternity test done years ago and it confirmed that you are my father. We have nothing to worry about."

"Yes, I know," Mac informs Lex. "I had the same questions all those years ago with Lydia and Kent. The paternity test was my idea, Lex. And it came back that you are my son."

Lex looks back at his father in surprise. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"There was nothing to tell," Mac replies to him quickly. "The results showed you as my son, and you are my son. I didn't see the point of bringing this up to you."

Lex pulls his Dad into a hug. "I'm so glad that this turned out the way it did. I can't imagine what I would have done if you weren't my father."

"We will never have to find out," Mac smiles back to him as they exit their embrace.

***

"Celeste, do you have a moment?" Lydia asks the younger woman as she approaches her.

Celeste takes a sip of her drink and looks back at Lydia, wondering what she could want from her. The last thing Celeste wants is to have another verbal spat with Mac's ex-wife; she only invited Lydia today because she is the children's mother and, regardless, she will always be in their lives.

"Just a moment for you, Lydia," Celeste replies to her. "What can I do for you?"

"I wanted to thank you," Lydia informs her as Celeste looks back in surprise.

"Thank me? I can't imagine for what."

"For inviting me here today," Lydia replies to her quickly. "I know we haven't always seen eye to eye but now that you're married to Mac, it would have been easy for you to shut me out of my family's lives."

"You will always be a member of this family," Celeste tells her. "You are the mother to Mac's children."

"I'm glad you remembered that," Lydia smiles back to her. "I don't want to fight with you, I just wanted to thank you for having me here today."

***

"This was a good idea," Cole tells Celeste as he comes up to the BBQ, where the chef has some hamburgers grilling. She turns to him and takes a drink from her red cup.

"I'm glad you think so," she purses her lips together. "I just want this family to come together."

"I can't stop thinking about you," he reveals to her, as their eyes lock. "That night, it replays in my mind over and over again. Tell me you aren't thinking about it too."

"I'm married to your father," she tells him, moving away from the BBQ. From a far, Lex sees the two of them together and wonders what they are talking about. He can tell because their body language is so intense. "I told you the other night, it was a mistake. I'm standing by that."

He grabs her wrist, still as Lex watches them intently, and pulls Celeste to him. "I know what you said, but something has to give here."

"No," Celeste tells Cole, as she breaks free from his hold on her. "What we did was a mistake. We both have to realize that. Now, let's go have some fun."

Cole watches her walk away from him quickly. From under his sun glasses, he sees Lex looking over at him and wonders how much his younger brother just saw. "Great," he whispers to himself. "The last thing I need is Lex snooping into my business."

***

"Darling, how are things going at Kelsey Lake?" Mac asks Stacey as they nibble on some carrot sticks that are on the table filled with a buffet of food. Mac knows that he wasn't thrilled to hear his daughter was going to be working for his competition but he did agree to support her.

Stacey uneasily smiles back to him, knowing that the best part of working at the mine is that she met Houston and has fallen for him. She can't reveal this, yet, however because she knows Mac will not be happy that she is seeing a Blackmore.

"It's been a really good learning experience," she finally says back to her father. "I couldn't have asked for anything more."

"That's very good to hear," Mac replies to her quickly. "You know, my offer is still on the table. Once you've had your fill of mine life, I can find you a position at Rockwell Mining."

"I appreciate that Daddy," she tells him. "I'm just not ready to leave this job yet. I'm actually enjoying it a lot."

"Is that right?" Mac smirks back to her. "Does this enjoyment have anything to do any a man that you've met there?"

"Why would you ask me that?" Stacey tries to act calm about his question.

"I don't know? I'm sure there are plenty of good looking young men there, and you're a beautiful woman. It's only human nature."

Stacey waves her hand in his face. "No Daddy, there is no man there. Not one."

***

Lex sets his glass down for a moment and quickly moves over to Celeste, who is about to dangle her feet in the water of the pool.

"Hey, Celeste," he calls out to her, sitting next to her. "Are you okay? I saw you with Cole and it looked to be an intense conversation."

Celeste looks back at him and nods to him. "Oh, yea, everything is fine. He was telling me I was too close to the BBQ but I told him I'm a big girl."

Lex uneasily laughs back to her. "Yea, I guess he can be a little overbearing, huh?"

Lydia emerges from behind Lex and Celeste and sees Lex's beer. She looks around and sees Mac and Stacey talking, Lex and Celeste in conversation and Cole has returned to his lounger.

"This is it," she whispers to herself as she opens her purse and slips a pill into Lex's beer. She picks up the bottle and swirls it around, until she sees the pill dissolved. She takes a deep breath as she realizes what she is about to do but she knows this is her only chance to get the shares from Lex. "Lex, darling, your beer will get warm if you leave it in the sun too long."

"Thanks Mom," he says, grabbing the bottle and taking a big mouthful of the beer, as Lydia watches him closely.

***

"I still can't get over the fact that you're working at the Kelsey Lake mine," Cole pokes fun at Stacey, as they play in the pool.

"Why not?" she grins back to him. "You think I'm beneath it?"

"Nah, I just never thought that it is something you would do, that's all," Cole replies to her quickly.

Lex does a cannon ball into the pool, splashing his siblings. "Lex!" Stacey squeals when he comes up from under the water. "My hair!"

"Oh, now you sound like the princess we all know and love," Lex laughs at her as he splashes his sister again.

"For once, I agree with Lex," Cole laughs as he joins in and starts flicking water in Stacey's direction.

"Stop it guys!"

"Or what, it's not like you have a boyfriend that can help you," Cole smirks to her.

"That's not fair," Stacey tries to keep cool, since no one knows she is involved with Houston Blackmore. "And, I don't need a man to defend myself!"

"It's nice to see the children so happy, isn't it?" Mac asks Lydia, as they stand on the outside of the pool and watch their children be silly with one another, her eyes fixed on Lex.

"It's all I ever wanted," she replies to him. "Was our family to be happy."

"Sometimes I wonder where it all went wrong, Lydia. I mean, how did we end up hurting each other so much?"

Lydia shrugs her shoulders. "Some people are just not meant to be together. I guess that's how it was for you and I."

"Indeed, and now you're happy with Kent Blackmore and I'm married to Celeste. I suppose it all worked out in the end."

***

A few hours later, the family has finished eating and the party is wrapping up slowly. Cole and Stacey have moved up stairs to change and are going to take a nap. Mac and Celeste remain by the pool, cleaning up from the party.

Lex moves inside the living room, and feels the room spinning quickly. He manages to sit down in a chair, but he knows that he isn't feeling so hot.

"Lex, darling, what's wrong?" Lydia asks him, knowing that the pill she slipped him must be working on him. She knows that she has to act quickly now. "Can I get you anything?"

"I …I….drank too much?" he barely gets the words out of his mouth.

"Here, drink this water," Lydia instructs him as he drinks a cup of water. "You'll be fine, baby. I promise you, you'll be just fine."

He doesn't respond, he just lays back on the sofa. She moves to her bag and pulls out some papers. "Before you sleep, Lexington, I need you sign these papers, okay?"

Lex's eyes are half closed when Lydia puts the pen in his hand. "Come on, just sign your name right there. You can do it," she coaches him, as Lex slowly signs on the line that Lydia instructed him to sign. Once he's done, the pen falls out of his hand and he passes out on the sofa.

"Good boy," she smiles back to him as he puts her papers back in her bag. "Now, let me help you get to bed. You'll be fine in the morning."

***

The following day, Stacey wakes up in the arms of Houston Blackmore, in his trailer on the grounds of the mine at Kelsey Lake. She looks up at him and smiles, noticing how handsome he is when he sleeps. Of course, the toned body that is attached to him doesn't hurt either.

"Good morning," he says as he stirs away and sees her looking at him. "Were you watching me sleep?"

"It's not creepy, is it?" she asks him as she leans up in the bed. "You just looked so peaceful."

"I slept like a baby," he replies to her. "How could I not after the workout we had right before we went to bed?"

Stacey chuckles back to him. "I think we both got exactly what we wanted and needed, don't you?"

"I wasn't complaining," he tells her. "In fact, it's getting more difficult to imagine life without you."

Stacey blushes back to him. "I know the feeling," she replies to him. "You know, despite our families, I…I've fallen in love with you, Houston."

Houston smiles back to her as he caresses her face. "I am so glad to hear you say that, because I love you too, Stacey. I want to be with you. I don' t want anything to get in our way of being together. Promise me it won't."

"I promise," she tells him. "I love you and want to be with you too."

***

Cole emerges in the dining room and moves to the coffee pot to pour himself a fresh cup. He looks at the fruit tray next to the coffee and starts making a breakfast plate for himself.

He turns around to sit at the table when he sees Lex come into the room. "Good morning," Cole says before taking a sip of his coffee. "Are you feeling okay? You didn't come back downstairs after the party yesterday. Too much sun?"

Lex rubs his eyes from his night before he pours himself a cup of coffee. "I don' t know," Lex admits to him. "I only had a couple of beers and then we had that huge lunch. I didn't think I over did it."

"But?" Cole asks him, knowing that there is more to the story.

"But, I must have blacked out. I don't remember leaving the party or going up to bed," Lex reveals to him. "That's not like me at all."

"No it's not," Cole tells him. "But you know, sometimes the sun does things to people. You must have just had too much?"

"Yea, I guess," Lex says as he sits across from Cole at the table. "You know what I do remember, though? You and Celeste having an intense conversation. What was that about?"

Cole gulps as he looks back at his brother. "It was nothing," Cole lies to him. "Nothing at all."

"Really?" Lex asks him. "Because it didn't like nothing. What's really going on between you and our step mother?"

"Nothing brother," Cole tells him as he stands up from the table. "I think the sun really did a number on you," he tells him as he gulps. He knows that he has to keep fending Lex off from any growing suspicions of him and Celeste.

***

"You seem to be in a good mood this morning," Kent tells Lydia as he comes into the living room of the penthouse, to hear Lydia humming to herself. "Did you have fun with your family yesterday?"

"I did," Lydia replies to him. "Usually Celeste Baldwin rubs me the wrong way, but it was a lovely gesture for her to invite me to the party. Being with my children, that's what makes me happy."

"I'm glad to hear that," Kent says back to her. "Changing focus, have you had any luck obtaining any of your children's shares in Rockwell Mining? You know, yesterday would have been a great opportunity to talk to them in a no-pressure way."

Lydia takes a sip of her coffee, thinking about her drugging Lex the previous day and getting him to sign over his proxy to her. "Of course I thought about it," she reveals to him. "And, I have good news for you. Two of my three children have given me their proxy, granted only for a year, but that will be more than enough time to do what it is we need to do."

"So, how are you going to get Lexington to come around?" Kent asks her, thinking he would be the one to put up the most fight.

"I got Lex's shares," Lydia reveals with a wicked grin on her face. "I only need Stacey's shares, and Rockwell Mining is ours."