Written by: Dallas Walsh

Lucinda Rockwell moves into the living room of the lavish Rockwell mansion and is immediately feels the Christmas spirit around her. The ten-foot-tall Christmas tree has sparkling lights and large diamond ornaments on it and there is soft Christmas music playing in the background. The fireplace it lit, and the stockings are hanging off the mantel. She has always loved this time of the year, and the decorating in the mansion certainly helps her get into the Christmas spirit.

"Yes, I suppose it is starting to feel like Christmas around here," she purses her lips together as she moves towards the bar and pours herself a rum and eggnog. She takes a sip of the festive drink and tries to smile to herself. "This year, we have to get along. I know that it might be difficult with Levi, I mean Nathan, being back but we must try. The last thing I want is for this family to constantly be at war."

She moves to the fireplace and picks up a picture of Lucinda and Mortimer, her husband, from many years ago. "Oh Morti, Merry Christmas my love," she tries to not get any tears in her eyes. "I wish you were with this us this, and every, year."

"Mother, is everything alright?" MacKenzie Rockwell asks as he moves into the living room and spies his mother holding the picture frame. He knows that misses her husband at the holidays; everyone wishes that Mortimer could be here at Christmas.

Lucinda puts the picture back on the mantel and then looks at Mac, who is followed by Nathan Lockhart, her other son. "Yes, I am fine. I guess I was just thinking about Christmases of the past. Before your father got ill; it was always his favorite time of the year."

"I suppose that is where I get my love for the season from," Mac replies to her as he moves to the bar to get himself a brandy. "Levi, can I get you a drink?"

"For the last time," Nathan snaps back at him, annoyed by the fact that they continue to call him Levi even though he has told them he changed his name years ago. "I go by Nathan now. Please, call me by my name."

"I'm afraid I will never get used to this name change," Lucinda shakes her head back to him. "You have to forgive us Lev…Nathan, we are used to you as Levi, not Nathan."

"All I am asking is that you try," Nathan replies to them. "But yes, Mac, I'd love a drink. I would like to thank you, both of you."

Mac arches his eyebrow as he passes his brother a brandy. "Thank us? What have we done, Nathan?"

"You let Slate and I stay here at the mansion," Nathan takes a sip of his drink. "After everything that has happened, you certainly didn't have to do that."

"You are family," Mac reminds him quickly. "We have problems, of course, but none of that really matters. You will always be welcome here; this is the Rockwell family home."

"You have no idea how much this warms my heart," Lucinda smiles to her children. "My two boys, grown up and getting along; it is all I have ever wanted. Promise me one thing, please?"

"What is that mother?" Nathan asks her.

"Let's get along for the holiday season?" Lucinda asks her children. "I want nothing more to have a peaceful Christmas this year."

Mac and Nathan look back at one another and chuckle. "We will do our best," Mac nods back to him. "We will certainly do our best."

***

Vivian Blackmore slowly sits down in the visitors' center of the county jail and looks around. Being here brings back so many memories of when her daughter, Madison Stewart, was in jail for killing Celeste Baldwin. Of course, Celeste turned out to be alive and well and so Madi was released from jail, but Vivian still hates being here, especially now that her other child is here.

Her other child, Houston Blackmore, was arrested once it was revealed that he and Celeste switched Stacey Rockwell's baby with Celeste's; Stacey and Kent Blackmore believed their child was dead when in fact she was being raised by Celeste and Mac. Celeste, like Houston, has been arrested and is also in jail. To top it off, Houston knocked out Lexington Rockwell and threw him in a cage to prevent him from telling the truth. Vivian just hopes that she can find a way to get Houston out of jail; she knows what he did was wrong, but she can't imagine her son being kept behind bars for a very long time.

"Mom, you came to see me," a shaky Houston says as he arrives in front of her.

Vivian stands up to greet her son. She wishes she could hug him, but she knows that no touching is allowed. "Of course, I did," she sits back down across from him. "There is no way in hell that I could stay away, Houston."

"I hate that you have to see me like this," he admits to her. "You shouldn't come to see me anymore."

"Don't you ever say that again," Vivian warns him sternly. "You are my son, I love you. Of course, I will come see you!"

Houston forces a smile on his face. "You're probably the one that still cares about me. I really fucked up this time, huh?"

"We have all made mistakes Houston," she replies to him quickly. "Your father, myself, everyone has done things they aren't proud of. Did you and Celeste come up with a crazy plan? Yes, we all think so. But, despite everything, I understand exactly why you did what you did."

"You do?"

Vivian nods back to him. "The thought of the woman you are in love with having a child with your father was too much for you to bear," she thinks about Houston is in love with Stacey but she slept with his father, Kent, and it resulted in baby Poppy being born. "I don't agree with your methods, but I understand where you are coming from."

"I don't think Dad or Stacey will ever be able to forgive me," Houston tells her. "And, I can understand if they don't. I just wish…I wish I could be home for Christmas, you know? I hate that I have to spend the holidays behind bars."

"Leave that to me by baby boy."

Houston looks back at her in surprise. "What does that mean? What are you going to do, Mom?"

"I'm going to ask Kent, Stacey and Lex if they will consider dropping the charges," Vivian reveals to him. "After all, they have also made their share of mistakes. It's time we all try to forgive one another and move on."

"Thank you for trying this Mom," Houston puts a smile on his face. "I don't know how I will ever repay you if I can get of jail."

"Don't you know by now that I will do anything for you?" Vivian smiles back to him. "I'll be in touch once I talk to Kent, Stacey and Lexington. In the meantime, you keep your spirits up. This isn't over, Houston."

***
Marat Kafelinkov sits down in a chair and faces the plexi-glass window in front of him. He looks around and sees other visitors talking to different inmates that are also at the women's jail. He looks forward when he sees Celeste moving from behind a secured door and into the visiting station. She sits across from him and then slowly picks up the telephone.

"Marat, you came to see me," Celeste says into the receiver.

"I couldn't stay away from the mother of my children," Marat replies to her. "Has Mac come to see you?"

"He did, yes," Celeste nods back to him. "He is furious with me for lying about Charlotte being Poppy. He told me he never wants to see me again. I lost him, Marat. I lost Mac all over again. And, I lost my daughter too. I'm devastated."

Marat sighs back to her. "I am sorry that you are going through this, Celeste. But we have to talk about the children; we have to talk about Ashlee and Ivan."

"How are they? I miss them both so much."

"They miss you too," Marat admits to her. "But, I'm not sure how long you will be in here. Has your lawyer given you any indication?"

"At least 6 months," she whispers back to him. "I'm going to miss Christmas with my children, Marat."

"I want you to know that I will do whatever I can to make sure they are taken care of and supported, Celeste. I won't let our children suffer as a result of this."

"You're the best father," Celeste tells him as she gets tears in her eyes. "I don't deserve my children."

"Yes, you do, they worship you Celeste," Marat says back to her. "Don't you worry about a thing, I'll make sure the children are okay. In the meantime, you need to be on your best behaviour, maybe you will get out early?"

A single tear falls down Celeste's cheek. "I will try Marat. And thank you, I wouldn't want my children with anyone else."

***

"I don't know how you do it," Casper Ross says with a sly grin on his face as he lays shirtless and sweaty in his bed next to Cole Rockwell. They just finished another intense session of sex; after Cole was left at the altar by Madison Stewart, the two seeming rekindled their affair and Casper couldn't be happier. "But you get better at topping each and every time."

Cole chuckles back to him. "It helps to have a good partner in all of this," Cole licks his lips before he looks back at Casper. "After everything that happened, this has been a nice distraction."

"Distraction?" Casper asks as he leans up in the bed. "Is that all I am to you?"

Cole shrugs back to him. "Don't take it so personally, Casper. This has always been just …fun?"

"I guess I just assumed that we were more since Madi made a complete ass of you in front of everyone," Casper admits to him as he crawls out of the bed and grabs his grey sweatpants. "You've been fucking me almost every day since then."

"We are both getting what we need, right?"

"Whatever Cole," Casper huffs back to him. "Maybe this is a good time to end this. I don't want to be a fuck buddy forever."

Cole crawls out of the bed and moves up towards him. "Look, I never meant to hurt your feelings Casper. I clearly do enjoy whatever this is but I'm not sure I can label it as a relationship, that's all. I hope that's okay?"

"It's going to have to be, right? Anyways, I should shower. I have a busy day planned."

"Uh, okay," Cole tells him. "I'll get going. I'll see you around."

"Yea, see you around," Casper says as he moves into the washroom and closes the door behind himself, leaving Cole wondering what just happened between the two of them.

***

"The Christmas tree looks beautiful this year," Stacey Rockwell announces as she moves into the living room of the penthouse that Kent Rockwell lives in with her mother, Lydia Rockwell. Stacey is holding her daughter, Poppy, in her arms.

Kent turns and smiles at the sight of his daughter moving into the living room. "She is getting so big," he takes his daughter from Stacey's arms. "I can't believe that she is really here, you know?"

"It makes my blood absolutely boil when I think of what Celeste and Houston did to us," Stacey admits to him. "Telling me that my child dead and then raising Poppy as her own? Celeste will rot in jail, and so will Houston!"

Kent looks at his daughter before he looks back at Stacey. "Houston is my son, but I have to agree with you. They need to pay for what they did to us. You ran away and spent so much time away from Kelsey Lake; that is time we can never get back."

"We are together now," Stacey smiles at him as they lock eyes. "That's all that matters now, right?"

Kent feels his heart skip a beat when Stacey comes up and puts her hand on his before she caresses Poppy's face. Despite being involved with Lydia, Kent can't help but still have deep feelings for Stacey; he hasn't acted on them because he has no idea if she feels the same way about him. He just can't seem to shake her from his mind.

"We are together, and nothing will ever take our little girl away from us again," Kent looks back at her. "You have my word on that, Stacey."

***

Slate Lockhart sits at the bar of the country club with a whiskey sour in front of him. He takes a hearty sip of the drink before he turns and sees the sparkling lights on the Christmas tree. He has been in Kelsey Lake for a few weeks now and still can't believe that Stacey is his cousin. He thinks back to their time together in New York; Stacey continued to show up at the bar where he worked, and they flirted until he finally got the nerve to ask her out. On their date, they came close to kissing, but they were interrupted by a phone call. Slate, then, agreed to come to Kelsey Lake to be Stacey's date to Cole's wedding; shortly after the ceremony, however, Nathan was revealed to be Levi Rockwell, Mac's brother. Slate can't believe that his father is really a Rockwell; it means that he is also a Rockwell and that he and Stacey are related. The woman he was falling for is his cousin; he has tried to put those feelings out of his head, but it is proving more difficult.

"It is a tad early to be drinking, isn't it?" Nathan asks his son as he approaches the bar.

Slate shrugs back to him. "Considering everything I've learned since arriving in Kelsey Lake, a drink helps me to think about things."

"I know it was a shock to learn that we are Rockwell's, Slate," Nathan sits next to him. "I never told you because I truly never believed I would come back here."

"But Sabine convinced you to come back?"

Nathan nods back to him. "She thought it wouldn't be too late to make amends with Lucinda and Mac; and in some ways, she is right."

"And in some ways, she is wrong," Slate looks back at him. "We are outsiders, Dad. Do you really think Mac and Lucinda will treat us like the rest of the family?"

"I am hopeful that they will," Nathan admits to him. "It was my father that treated me poorly; Mac and Lucinda never did."

"Well if Mac and Lucinda want us to be a part of the family, they can start by giving us jobs at Rockwell Mining," Slate tells his father. "We have just as much of a right to work there as Mac, Cole, Stacey and Lex do. Hell, Lex isn't even a true Rockwell!"

Nathan chuckles back to him. "Lexington is working at Blackmore Ltd. I had no idea that you, however, wanted to work at Rockwell Mining. I am sure that if we approach Mac, he can find a position for you."

"He better," Slate huffs. "They all have a lot of time to make up for. They have to treat us like we are family and working at Rockwell Mining would be a damn good start."

***

A short time later, Lucinda moves into the country club and scans the dining room for Dane Ashby, whom she has agreed to meet for a light lunch. She sees her former lover sitting by the window and takes a deep breath. She hates that Dane is still in Kelsey Lake; she had wanted him to leave as soon as he and Mac finished their business deal at Rockwell Mining, but Dane has since stayed in town. The reason that Lucinda hates that he is here is because she knows that only he knows her deepest, darkest secret: Dane is Mac's father, which means Mac is truly not a Rockwell. She knows that the truth would have killed Mortimer and made Nathan, really Levi in her mind, the true Rockwell heir. With everything that has happened, Lucinda knows that her secret must be kept until she is dead.

"Thank you for meeting me today," Lucinda announces nonchalantly as she arrives at his table, sits down and removes her large Chanel sunglasses.

Dane looks back at the woman that once had his heart and feels himself warming towards her again. "Of course," he replies to her. "I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of ordering us a bottle of the finest champagne."

"You did?" Lucinda looks back at him in surprise. "Why would you do that? We are not celebrating today, Dane."

Dane chuckles back to her. "Consider it an early Christmas present?"

"You listen to me very closely Dane," Lucinda whispers as she leans closer to him. "You are skating on very thin ice with me. You came to town, you have seen Mac, you finished your business deal, it is time for you to go on with your life and let me and my family do the same!"

Dane slowly picks up his champagne and takes a sip. "This is quiet exquisite; you'd enjoy some Lucinda."

"Did you hear a damn word I just said? I don't want your damn champagne!"

"I have kept our secret for years," Dane sternly replies to her. "No one knows that I am MacKenzie's biological father, and I intend for it to stay that way. I made a promise to you all those years ago, and I am a man of my word. That being said, I am not leaving Kelsey Lake until after the Christmas season. Mac has graciously invited me to the Rockwell mansion for Christmas day and I intend to be there. After all these years of keeping my mouth shut, the least you can do is give me a Christmas with my son and his family. Don't you think you owe me that much?"

Lucinda sits back in her chair and slowly picks up her champagne. She takes a sip of it and then puts the glass down. "You think this is good champagne? You clearly have no taste, Dane," she replies to him. "I will give you this holiday season in Kelsey Lake, but the day after Christmas you had better be on the first plane back home or so help me God, I will not be responsible for my actions."

***

"Dad, your message sounded urgent, what is going on?" Lexington Rockwell asks as he opens the door to the main office at Rockwell Mining and spies Mac behind the desk, while Cole and Stacey are catching up on the sofa by the fireplace. Lex knows that something must be going on for the entire family to be here.

"Lex, please come in and join us," Mac stands up from his chair and moves to the sofas where Cole and Stacey are. "I needed to have a family meeting; it is urgent."

"Does this have anything to do with Lydia's Christmas present?" Stacey asks him quickly. "Because, I already bought her something."

"No, this has nothing to do with Christmas," Mac tells his children. "This has to do with your Uncle Levi and your cousin Slate."

"Correction, it's Nathan now," Cole chuckles back to his father, who rolls his eyes.

"Yes, right, Nathan," Mac corrects himself. "That will take a while to get used to."

"It is still weird knowing that we have an Uncle that we never heard about until recently," Lex shakes his head back to his family. "And, that he has a son our age. What other secrets is Nana keeping from us?"

"I don't think she is keeping any secrets," Mac tells him. "The fact is, my father treated Levi…I mean Nathan, horribly to the point that he emancipated himself from the family. I don't blame Nathan for wanting to start fresh."

"Then all is well?" Cole asks him. "Like Lex said, your message made it seem important."

"It is," Mac nods back to him. "With Nathan being back and Slate here, I am waiting for them to announce that they want roles here at Rockwell Mining. After all, they are Rockwell's, this is a family company."

"But, you don't want them working here?" Stacey asks him back quickly.

"It's not that I don't want them here," Mac cautiously replies. "It's that, we have to…I don't know, keep the peace for now? If they want positions here, fine, I can try to make something happen. The mailroom is always looking for new hires; Nathan, I'm not sure what position, if any, I will give him. More importantly, we have to keep an eye on them. They must earn my trust; the last thing I want is for Nathan and Slate to put Rockwell Mining at jeopardy. And to do that, I will need all of your help."

The three siblings look at one another and nod to each other. "We can do that, Dad," Cole speaks on behalf of the Rockwell children. "We can help you keep an eye on Nathan and Slate."

***

A short time later, Stacey returns to the Rockwell mansion and makes a beeline for the living room, where she sees Slate about to pour himself a gin and tonic at the bar.

"Day drinking, huh?" she asks as she comes closer to him. "That used to be my favorite hobby in New York."

Slate turns and smiles back to her. "You always liked the martini's," he reminds her. "Do you want me to make you one?"

"You don't mind? I won't exactly be tipping you this time," she chuckles to him.

Slate laughs back to her. "I don't mind at all," he tells her. "It will give me something to do for the next couple of minutes."

"How have you been settling into Kelsey Lake?" Stacey asks him as she sits on the sofa. Within a few minutes, Slate comes to join her and passes her the martini. "Thank you."

"It has been alright, I guess," Slate says before he takes a sip of his drink. "This house that you grew up, it is beautiful. It is nice staying in such a place."

"I get the feeling you want to say something else? What is it, Slate?"

He sighs before he looks back at her. "I shouldn't say this but, I just feel really dumb," he admits to her. "In New York, we were growing closer. Closer than what cousins should be. Now that I know the truth, I'm just having a difficult time moving past this."

"You're not dumb for feeling that way," she replies to him quickly. "To be honest, it has been such a whirlwind since coming back, I haven't even had time to think about that. But, you're right."

"Really?"

"Of course," she nods to him. "When I got home, I learned that my daughter was alive. That has been so consuming for me. I haven't really thought of much else, you know? I should have been there for you to help you get through this."

"I have been trying to give you space because I saw firsthand what losing Poppy did to you," Slate admits to her. "But, going through this together would be nice."

"Look, it is complicated, but we are already friends, so that helps right? We just know that we aren't able to date in any capacity," Stacey tells him with smile on her face. "You're a good-looking man, Slate, there are plenty of women in Kelsey Lake that would love to go out with you. Trust me, you will be fine. Just don't be so hard on yourself, okay?"

"I am feeling better already," he smiles back to her. "Thanks Stacey."

***

Vivian slowly moves up to a doorway and prepares to knock on it. She hasn't been able to stop thinking about the fact that Dyhannah Cooper revealed to her at Cole and Madi's aborted wedding that she slept with Chase Cooper; Vivian has been meaning to discuss with Chase because she refuses to believe that Chase would actually sleep with that woman, but she has to know once and for all if it is true. She finally knocks on the door and hears a faint "come in".

Chase looks up from the paperwork on his desk when the door to his office opens and Vivian appears. "Viv, hey, I wasn't expecting you. How are you? How is Madi?"

"Madi is fine," Vivian nods back to him. "I think she's, slowly, getting over Cole's betrayal. These things, however, they take time, as you know."

"I am just glad that she has come around and is on good terms with us again. I hated fighting with her."

"You and me both," Vivian purses her lips together.

"You know what this means, don't you Vivian?" Chase asks her as he stands up from his chair and moves closer to her. "It means, we can finally get what we've always wanted: we can finally get married. With Madi being on good terms with us again, she won't blackmail us into staying a part."

"That had crossed my mind," Vivian looks back at him. "But something keeps coming back to my mind that I can't stop thinking about."

Chase arches his eyebrow. "And that would be?"

"At Madi's wedding to Cole," she begins to tell him. "I ran into Dyhannah; she was not looking so well, almost like she had the wind knocked out of her."

"I'm not sure where this is going?"

"I spoke to her and she told me that you slept with her," Vivian reveals to him. "Is that true? Did you sleep with Dyhannah?"

Chase feels the blood drain from his face. He knows that he did sleep with his ex-wife, but he only did it to get back at her for helping Madi with her blackmail scheme. He knew that by sleeping with her, he would hurt her in the worst way possible.

"You have to understand…"

"My God," Vivian covers her mouth as tears start forming in her eyes. "It's true, she was telling me the truth? You slept with her? How could you do this to me? To us?"

Before Chase can reply, Vivian turns and rushes out of his office, not able to look him in the eyes for a second longer.

***

Cole slowly walks through the shopping center in Kelsey Lake as he takes a sip of his latte that he is holding. He is at the mall doing some Christmas shopping that he must complete. As he moves through the mall, he can't help but notice the Christmas decorations that line the store fronts and the soft Christmas music that is playing.

He turns his head and happens to see Madison Stewart leaving one of the stores with three large shopping bags. He feels his heart move into his throat at the sight of his former fiancé; he has hasn't seen her in a few months, but he has wondered how she is doing. He knows that the fact that she found out about his affair with Casper must have been devastating to her.

"Madi," he finds himself approaching her. "Merry Christmas. How are you?"

Madi uneasily looks back at Cole as she feels her heart break inside her chest all over again at the sight of him. "Cole, hi, I guess we both had some shopping to do, huh?"

"Yea, it's that season for spending more money than you can imagine and then paying the price for it all January," he chuckles back to her. "You look good, by the way."

"Thanks, so do you," she nods back to him.

"I'm not going to plead my case about trying to get back together," he quickly tells her. "But I did want you to know that I am very sorry for what happened. I don't even know what happened myself, if I am honest."

Madi feels her eyes swell with water. "You should figure that out before you get involved with anyone else Cole," she tells him. "I appreciate your apology and you are right, we are over for good this time. I could never trust you again, not after what you did to me."

"I understand," Cole says back to her. "For what it's worth, I did love you Madi. And, a part of me always will. Merry Christmas."

Madi watches as Cole turns and walks away from her. A single tear falls down her cheek and she immediately wipes it away. "Merry Christmas Cole," she whispers to herself.

***

"Oh, good you're here," Mac announces to Sabine as he moves into the living room of the Rockwell mansion and he sees his former lover putting some Christmas presents under the large tree. "I was hoping we could have a moment alone to talk."

Sabine stands up from placing the gifts under the tree and fixes her dress before she looks back at Mac. "Of course, I always have time for you. I can't tell you how much it means that I'm back for the holidays. They are my favorite time of the year."

Mac chuckles back to her. "Mine too," he nods back to her. "Listen, I'm going to make this quick and painless so we can carry on with our days. I'm going to need your help this holiday season, Sabine."

Sabine arches her eyebrow back to him. "My help? With what? Please tell me it's not a gift idea for Lydia because she probably only deserves a lump of coal!"

Mac laughs. "No, it's not a gift for your sister," he replies to her. "It is about Levi, I mean Nathan. I need your help with my brother."

"What sort of help do you need with Nathan?" Sabine nervously asks him.

"Well, as you can imagine, it has been years since he has been home. We haven't heard from him in so long and now suddenly he is back. I just need you to help keep the peace between everyone. I don't want this Christmas to be filled with fighting."

Sabine purses her lips together. "I can certainly try to help you with that, Mac. I am just glad that Nathan is here to be with his family. He has been away far too long, don't you agree?"

Mac uneasily chuckles back to him. "As long as he remembers his place in this family, we won't have anything to worry about."

***

A short time later, Sabine opens the door the bedroom that she and Nathan are staying in at the Rockwell mansion and she sees Nathan getting dressed in front of the large mirror that is in the room.

"You look handsome today," she purrs as she moves up to him. "What is the occasion? You usually only wear a tie when you have a showing in New York."

Nathan turns to her and kisses her on the lips. "I am supposed to have lunch with Lucinda today," he reveals to her. "I don't know, she is always dressed to the 9's, so I thought I would try to make her proud."

"That's cute," Sabine smiles back to him. "Just remember that you're already a member of this family, you don't have to try too hard."

"Sometimes it doesn't feel that way," Nathan admits to her as he turns and refocuses on his tie in the mirror. "I've been away for so long, I feel like I have more to prove than ever before."

"Do me a favor?" Sabine asks him as she sits on the bed and looks back at him. "Let's try to get along with everyone, okay? It is Christmas, after all."

Nathan turns and looks at her. "Don't worry about that," he winks to her. "I plan on getting along with everyone, as long as…"

"As long as what?" Sabine asks him in concern.

A wicked grin comes across his face. "As long as I get everything that I want and deserve to get. Then we won't have any problems at all."

***

Kent moves to the bar in the living room of the penthouse and pours himself a tall brandy. He takes a sip of it immediately as he thinks about how he and Stacey recently spent some time together with Poppy. He is so grateful that his daughter is alive and well and that is getting to spend time with her and Stacey.

He takes another sip of his brandy as he thinks about Stacey; no matter how hard he has tried, he knows that he hasn't been able to get her out of his mind. The fact that they continue to spend so much time together for Poppy's sake is making it much more difficult for him to move on.

"Darling, did you hear a word I just said?" Lydia asks as she moves up to Kent.

Kent turns and looks at his lover, not having heard anything that she just said to him. "Sorry, I guess I was lost in my thoughts."

Lydia arches her eyebrow, realizing that he has been deep in thought more than once lately. She only hopes that something more serious is going on with him. "What were you thinking about?"

"I saw Stacey and Poppy," he reveals to her. "My daughter is getting so big. I guess I was just thinking about Houston and how he is in jail and will likely stay there over the holidays."

"Oh Kent," Lydia moves up to him and pulls him into a hug. "This might be the best thing for everyone; we all need time to get over everything that has happened. I know Houston knows what he did was wrong, maybe this will help everyone start fresh."

"I don't know what to think anymore," Kent admits to her as they exit their embrace. "How could I have raised a child that would tell everyone that a baby was dead and let us all grieve? And, how can I be sure that I will do something differently with Poppy?"

"You're over thinking this," Lydia tells him. "You are a wonderful father, don't ever second guess that."

"Thanks Lydia, I needed to hear that."

"You know, it is Christmas time," Lydia smiles back to her lover. "I think it would be wonderful if we ended this year engaged and next year we can plan to be married. I think the sooner we are husband and wife, the better."

Kent uneasily chuckles to her as he thinks about Stacey for another moment. "You think so, huh?"

"I know so my love, I know."

***

"How is Poppy today?" Lex asks Stacey as he moves into the study in the Rockwell mansion. Lex instantly moves to the bar and pours himself a gin and tonic. "I haven't seen my niece yet today."

Stacey looks back at her brother. "She's great, I just can't believe I missed so much time with her, you know? That is time that I can never get back."

"What is important is that you have your daughter back," Lex turns to her and moves over to the sofa where she is sitting. "We can't go back in time, but we can go forward."

"I just can't believe that Houston and Celeste came up with that baby switch idea," Stacey admits to him. "Telling Kent and I that our child was dead? They are sick!"

"I've known that about Houston for a while," Lex tells her. "And, let's not forget that when I learned the truth about Poppy being alive, he knocked me out and put me in that cage in Lucinda's old mansion. He will stop at nothing to get what he wants."

"At least he's behind bars," Stacey looks back at her brother. "He can't hurt us from jail."

Lex pulls her into a hug. "With so many pending charges, there will be no way in hell he gets out jail, Stace. Houston can't hurt us anymore."

"I hope you're right Lex," she sighs back to him. "Because, the last thing I need is for Houston to cause us more problems."

***

The following morning, Slate emerges from the elevator at Rockwell Mining and moves off. He stops and pulls his phone out of his pocket. He turns on the camera and points it towards his face; he quickly does a couple of quick fixes of his hair before he puts the phone back in his pocket. He takes a deep breath and then confidently moves towards the main office.

He opens the door and sees Mac sitting behind his desk. "Mac, good morning," Slate announces as he moves inside the office. "I missed seeing you at breakfast this morning."

"Yes, you did," Mac looks up at his nephew. "I left early because I had a million things to do today."

"Well, I appreciate you agreeing to see me this morning," Slate moves closer to the desk. "When I called you, you didn't hesitate to agree to this meeting."

"That's because you are family," Mac smiles back to him. "And, I had a feeling that I would be seeing you, and your father, around here eventually. This is a family company, after all."

Slate chuckles back to him. "I'm glad you feel that way," Slate nods to him. "Because, I was hoping that I could come to work here. I missed so much of my life knowing that I am a Rockwell; the idea that I this company is a part of my birthright makes me very excited. So, what do you say? Can I come to work here? Can I be a part of the family business?"

Mac stands up from behind his desk and moves towards the bar. "Can I get you a cup of coffee, Slate?"

"No, thanks," Slate shakes his head as Mac pours himself a cup.

Mac turns around and faces his nephew as he takes a sip of his coffee. "I appreciate that you want to come to work here, Slate, I truly do. And, I think that you deserve to work for the family company."

"That's awesome to hear!"

"But," Mac cuts him off and look at him sternly. "You have no business experience at all. So, if you want to work here, you must start at the ground up. You have to learn the ropes and slowly move up the ranks, just like my children did."

Slowly the smile leaves Slate's face as he listens to Mac's words. "What does that mean exactly? How do you want me to start at the ground and work my way up?"

"The mailroom," Mac nods back to him. "That's where you will start. If you do well, we can move up. But you must learn how this company works, Slate. The only way that will happen is by you learning every detail of this organization. You can't be making any major decisions without understanding the impact that it has on every single department."

"So, I'm not getting an office?" Slate asks him in confusion.

"Not today," Mac chuckles back to him. "Like I said, one day I have faith that it could happen. But you have to put the time in first. So, what do you say? Will you take the job?"

"I guess I have no choice if I want to work here," Slate uneasily smiles back, still furious that he didn't get a better position. "I'll take it, but I want to move up quickly Uncle Mac."

"One step at a time, Slate. One step at a time."

***

Vivian storms into the country club and moves to the dining room. She scans the room but doesn't see Dyhannah anywhere. She is furious that Chase has admitted to her that he slept with her, even though he claims it was only because it was a form of revenge. She turns to leave when she spies Dyhannah sitting at the bar with a rum and eggnog in front of her.

"You slut pig!" Vivian storms up to her rival. "How could you be so stupid as to not know that Chase was using you?"

Dyhannah chuckles back to Vivian. "Ah, so he finally told you the truth? He might had said that he was using me, Viv, but we both know he came there for one reason and one reason only."

"He detests you," Vivian glares back to her. "If you think anything, you're completely delusional."

"Maybe," Dyhannah replies to her. "But I am the one that he came crawling too when he needed too, Vivian. You're just a pathetic notch on his bed post."

Vivian's hand finds Dyhannah's cheek with a hard, firm slap. "You stay away from me and Chase, do you hear?"

Dyhannah puts her hand to cheek before she looks back at Vivian. "How dare you!" she gasps back to her, stunned that she was slapped. Dyhannah turns and picks up her rum and eggnog and throws it in Vivian's face, which causes Vivian to squeal in horror. "And, you will learn not to mess with me, because you will lose every single time."

Vivian wipes some of the drink of her face and feels her blood boil. Dyhannah stands up from her chair and smiles at her. Dyhannah then throws the napkin that was on her lap at Vivian. "Here, you look like a piggy that just rolled in some mud. Clean yourself up."

Vivian turns and watches as her rival exits the country club, leaving Vivian a mess.

***

Cole moves into the living room of the Rockwell mansion and places some of the Christmas presents that he bought at the shopping center earlier under the tree. Once he's done, he slowly stands up and looks at the Christmas tree. He has always loved this time of the year, but for some reason this year feels different to him. After seeing Madison at the mall, he can't help but wonder what has become of him; he was so sure that he was a straight man, but he has been having an affair with a man for months now.

"Cole, I am surprised to see you here and not at Rockwell Mining," Lydia says as she moves into the living room and sees her son looking at the twinkling lights on the tree. "What are you doing here?"

Cole sighs as he looks back at her. "I don't know," he admits to her. "I guess I needed some time for myself."

"Darling, what is it? What's wrong?" Lydia asks him as she comes up to him.

"I wish I knew," Cole tells her. "I just … I just feel different, you know? Ever since Madi left me at the altar, I guess I haven't felt like myself."

"Well, if I am honest with you," Lydia pulls him to sit next to her on the sofa. "I have noticed a change in you as well. Nothing major, just something different than how you were before. So, if you are noticing a change, this is because maybe you have changed. Going through something like being left at the altar is bound to change someone."

"I guess you're right."

"I am always right, I am your mother," Lydia chuckles back to him. "But, listen Cole, if you are struggling with something, it is okay to take the time to look inside yourself to figure out who you are and where you need to go. Sometimes looking inside ourselves is the best thing one can do."

Cole nods back to her before he pulls Lydia into a hug. "Thanks Mom, I needed to hear that."

"Anytime my love," Lydia whispers back to him. "Now, how about we have a drink? Rum and eggnog?"

"I'd love that."

***

"What on earth happened to you?" Chase asks Vivian, as she moves into the living room of her mansion and he can see that she is still a mess from her encounter with Dyhannah at the country club.

"Don't ask," Vivian moves straight to the bar and pours herself a brandy. She takes a long sip and then looks back at Chase. "What are you even doing here? I wasn't sure you'd be here after our last conversation."

"I didn't like how we left things," Chase admits to her. "I wanted to come back here and see if we could make amends."

"I don't have time for this right now," Vivian tells him. "I need to go shower, I just wanted a drink to try to calm my nerves. They are shot!"

"Viv, come on, let's just talk?"

"I am going to shower," Vivian tells him as she moves towards the foyer of the house. She stops though and looks back at Chase. "One question, Chase. Something has been bugging me since the day Madi left Cole at the altar."

In the foyer, Madi slowly moves towards the living room. She is carrying some Christmas presents for her parents as she is trying to make amends for everything that they have been through lately. She freezes, however, when she hears Vivian mention her name and her wedding day.

"What is your question?" Chase asks Vivian, not realizing his daughter is listening to their conversation.

"You told Madi about Cole's affair," Vivian reminds him. "Before you did that, you told me that you were going to ensure that Madi would learn her lesson for blackmailing us into splitting up. Did you tell Madi about Cole's affair to teach her a lesson?"

Chase sighs and looks back at her, while Madi gulps heavily in the foyer. "Yes, I did. I told you that I would make Madi pay for what she was doing to us," Chase reveals to Vivian. "But, I also did it for her. The last thing I wanted to do was have Madi marry a man that was unfaithful to her. Despite everything, I do care about our daughter, Vivian."

"I can't believe you," Madi says coming into the living room with tears in her eyes and Chase and Vivian look back at her in surprise that she is there. "You told me about Cole's affair to get back at me? How the hell could you?"

***

Slate opens the door to the mailroom at Rockwell Mining and looks around. He is immediately turned off by how dusty the space is and how many dirty mail bags there are.

"You must be Slate?" another younger man comes up to him. "I'm Jimmy, I'm the manager of the mailroom. Mac called down and said you'd be stopping by."

"I am Slate, nice to meet you Jimmy," Slate forces a smile on his face. "Is it always so…crazy down here?"

"Not always, but the 15th and 30th for sure because invoices are either coming in or going on," Jimmy explains to him. Jimmy stops and looks at Slate for a moment. "You might want to think about wearing something a little less fancy down here. No suits and ties required."

Slate chuckles back to him. "Yea, I can see that. Well, what do you want me to do, exactly?"

"The daily mail just went out," Jimmy explains to him. "So, all those plastic bins over there, you can stack and re-organize them by color. Each color represents a different department within Rockwell Mining; Mac likes to know which area sends the most mail and which receives the most. It's a budget thing."

Slate looks at the various large bins across the room from him and groans a little at the thought of stacking and organizing. "Uh, sure, I'll get right on it."

"That's the spirit! If you do a good job, I'll be sure to put in a good word for you with the boss upstairs," Jimmy says before he rushes off.

Slate rolls his eyes at the idea of Jimmy giving Mac a good word about him. "I shouldn't even be down here; this work is degrading for me," he whispers to himself as he moves over to the bins. "What a joke."

***

"How was lunch with your mother?" Sabine asks Nathan as he opens the door to the bedroom that they are staying in together at the Rockwell mansion. Sabine hopes that Nathan and Lucinda's lunch went well because she wants him to be a part of the family once again.

"It was surprisingly nice," Nathan replies to her as he moves up to her. "We didn't squabble once, but then again, Mac was at the office so that was nice."

"I have to ask you something," Sabine says as she moves closer to her lover. "Earlier, you said you would be willing to get along with everyone as long as you got exactly what you wanted. What did you mean by that? What is that you want?"

Nathan chuckles back to her before he wraps his arms around her. "Right now? I want you," he looks into her eyes and then leans in and kisses her. "Let me make love to you, Sabine."

Sabine finds herself getting wrapped up in Nathan's arms and kisses. She starts to unbuckle his belt and then unbutton his pants.

"Have me Nathan," she purrs back to him. "Make love to me, please."

***

"Thanks for meeting for me a drink," Kent tells Stacey as they sit across from one another at a table at the country club, with soft Christmas music playing in the background.

"Of course," Stacey looks back at him. "I thought it was a great idea for us to get together to discuss what we are going to get Poppy this year. I can't believe that we have our daughter back for Christmas."

Kent picks up his spiced rum and ginger ale and takes a sip of it. "I just find it hard to believe that, yet another year has come and gone," he chuckles to her. "My age is going to catch up to me one of these days."

Stacey chuckles back to him. "You are being too hard on yourself," she tells him. "You look great, Kent. You really do, handsome as ever."

"That's kind of you to say," Kent looks back at her and immediately feels his heart racing a little. "You're still so beautiful, Stacey. And, you're right, this year we have more to celebrate than ever before with Poppy being back in our lives."

"I love this Christmas song," Stacey smiles back to him as a Bing Crosby version of Silent Night starts to play. "It's so sad but hopeful at the same time."

"It's how I have felt when we thought Poppy was lost to us forever," he admits to her. "Sad but hopeful for the future."

Stacey reaches over and grabs Kent's hand. Their eyes lock immediately, and she smiles to him. "We don't have to be sad anymore; we have Poppy back, and we will never lose her again."

At the entry way of the country club, Lydia stands and feels a large lump grow in her throat as she sees her lover and daughter, who share a daughter together, sitting together hand in hand.

***

"Answer me! How could you do this to me? How could you tell me about Cole's affair to teach me some kind of sick lesson?" a livid Madi asks Chase and Vivian as she stands in the living room of Vivian's mansion.

"Darling, let me explain," Chase moves closer to her.

"And, to think, I came here today to give you this damn Christmas presents!" Madi shrieks back to him as she throws the presents at the Christmas tree, causing some of the glass figures to fall and shatter on the floor. "You two are toxic, do you know that?"

"Madison," Chase says sternly to his daughter. "I told you about Cole's affair to prevent you from entering a marriage based on lies and deceit. You have to believe me."

"I know what I just heard!" Madi turns and yells at her father. "You just told Vivian and you also did it to teach me a lesson since I was threatening to go to the police about your past with Kent! You know, I still damn well could do that, I could go there right now!"

Chase gulps and looks at Vivian. "Madi, all we want is for this to be in the past. What happened was in the past, can't we just move on? You brought Christmas presents? We can have a nice holiday together and just be a family again. What do you say?"

"I say you're both disgusting," Madi spits back to them. "I've made a decision; I can't do this anymore. I can't!"

"What are you saying?" Chase asks her quickly, worried that this means that Madi is going to go to the police; he knows that if the truth about his past with Kent gets out, both he and Kent could face jail time. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm leaving town," a defeated Madi reveals to her parents. "I need to get away from you two, I need to get away from Cole, I just need to get away from everything."

"Madi, please don't go," Vivian pleads with her. "At least stay until after Christmas."

Madi looks back at her with tears in her eyes. "The sad thing is, Mom, I'll have a merrier Christmas away from you," she tells her. "Don't write or call me. I'll reach out when I'm ready to hear from you, if ever."

Chase and Vivian watch as Madi rushes out of the living room. Vivian looks at him and feels her heart break inside her chest.

"What are we going to do?" she asks him. "I feel like we've lost her forever."

Chase pulls Vivian into a hug. "Maybe this is the best," he whispers back to her. "Maybe she just needs some time to heal and move on."

***

Slate opens the front door to the country club and moves inside. After his first shift at Rockwell Mining, he came to the club to have a stiff drink. He thought he could use it after the disaster that the mailroom turned out to be.

As he moves towards the bar, he can't help but think about how Jimmy had to "teach" him how to properly stack the mail bins and where to place each department's bins. In his mind, if things were labelled properly, it wouldn't have been an issue. And, he is wondering if Mac purposely told Jimmy to be extra hard on him to try to prove a point with him.

"I'll have a double scotch neat please," he tells the bartender as he sits at the bar.

"Someone had a rough day," Carmen Santos turns and smiles at Slate as they sit next to one another. "A double, huh?"

"You have no idea," Slate chuckles back to her. "How about you? Long day?"

"You could say that," Carmen purses her lips together as she does a double take of Slate. "Wait, aren't you…?"

"Slate Lockhart," he looks back at her. "I guess Rockwell, but that's a long story."

"I thought I recognized you," Carmen looks back at him. "I'm Carmen; I used to be married to Mac. You were at the Rockwell mansion when I revealed that Houston and Celeste switched those babies."

Slate looks back at her and nods his head slowly, recalling the ordeal. "Right," he tells her. "I guess we all owe you one for letting the truth come out."

Carmen chuckles back to her. "That family has used and abused me," she admits to him. "Revealing that sorted tale was the least I could do to them. I would love to do more."

Slate arches his eyebrow. "More, like what?"

Carmen shrugs back to him. "I have no idea, but the way they treated me, they deserve to pay. But, I'm sorry. I know they are your family. I shouldn't be talking like this with you."

Slate chuckles back to her. "Family? Yea, that's a strong word to use. I just found out that they are my family but they are making it very difficult to fit in and feel welcomed. Can you believe that your ex-husband gave me a job at Rockwell Mining in the mailroom? Me, his nephew, in the mailroom? It's degrading."

"Sounds like you feel about the Rockwell's the same way I do," Carmen say as she picks up her martini and takes a sip of it. "You know, if you want, we could put our heads together and work together to bring them down? Don't answer me now, but think about it Slate, okay?"

***

Lucinda moves up to the bar in the study of the Rockwell mansion and pours herself a brandy. She takes a sip of it as she thinks about her lunch date earlier with Levi. She quickly shakes her head and tells herself that her son's name is Nathan, not Levi now. She is grateful that she and Nathan are seemingly getting along because they could be at each other's throats. She still wonders if Mac and Nathan will be able to get along.

"That looks lovely, is there enough for one more?" a voice calls out from behind Lucinda.

She turns around and is started to see Dane Ashby standing in the study. "Dane? What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you," he admits to her as he moves closer to her. He pushes the door closed, but it doesn't latch completely. "I want to know how I can be involved with Christmas this year? I want to be here with my son."

"Would you keep your voice down?" Lucinda tells him in a hushed whisper. "This is my family's home, no one can hear you speak like that!"

"I know, I'm sorry," Dane moves closer to her. "But you have to give me this one final wish," he tells her. "Don't make me remind you of why."

"Give me some time," Lucinda waves her hand in the air. "I need to discuss this all with Mac and smooth over any hiccups."

"Fine, but we are running out of time," he tells her. "Christmas is right around the corner, Lucinda."

At the door, Nathan is about to walk by when he peers through the small opening of the door. He sees Lucinda and Dane in what appears to be a heated discussion. He stops for a moment and watches his mother.

"What is this all about?" he asks himself in a whisper. "What could Lucinda and Dane Ashby possibly have in common that they are having this deep of a conversation?"