Previously...

Martine read Josie's diary, and privately lashed out at Remy for sleeping with her teenage daughter.

Sonya and Jasper broke up, deciding they needed to spend more time as friends to regain each other's trust. Jasper was uneasy about his decision, but Sonya seemed to understand his concern.

After learning of Charlie's past with Kerrigan, Erin ran from him at the Masquerade. Reconsidering her actions, she promised to at least offer him a chance to explain the next time she saw him...

The Guthrie Home

The mid-morning sun filtered in through the bedroom window where it hit Josie Singer's angrily violet hair, burning brilliantly behind her with each brush stroke. She held out a piece and examined it in the mirror, wondering if it was time for a touch up.

From the hall, Josie could hear the telephone ringing. It disrupted the silence of the otherwise still residence. "Mom, are you going to get that?" Josie called out. Garnering no response, Josie answered it herself. "Hello?"

"Hi, Josie?"

"Who is this?" she asked. His voice was familiar, yet unidentifiable. Her eyes darted down to the Caller ID. Ormand. "Remy!"

"Why'd you ask, if you already knew?" he teased.

"Sorry, I was a little confused for a second," she answered, not revealing that she hadn't recognized his voice without technological assistance. Why would Remy be calling her? She could think of a dozen different possibilities -- none of them necessarily bad.

"So what's up?" he asked effortlessly, striking up conversation.

"Not much. It's pretty dead around here. Everyone's still asleep because they were out late at that party last night. I think I was the only person in town who didn't go." She paused as he chuckled over the line. She was getting antsy. "Was there something you wanted to ... ask me, or anything? Why did you call me?"

"I guess I just wanted to make sure you were okay. The last time I saw you was when I drove you home from that party, remember? Did you explain things to your mother?"

"I couldn't lie about it, Remy. I told her the truth. Anyone would have been able to tell I'd been drinking that night. She wasn't too upset..."

"I'm not talking about the drinking. I'm talking about us. How did she find out that we slept together in the first place?"

Josie's jaw dropped. Her mother knew she'd had sex with Remy? Josie remembered looking out the window the evening of the party, and seeing her mother slap Remy across the face. "Is that why she smacked you when you brought me home? Oh, God! How could she have known?"

"Did you tell anyone? Did she hear you mention it over the phone or--?"

"No, no!" Josie interrupted, flailing her free hand as she grappled for an explanation. "I told you I wouldn't tell anyone about us, and I didn't! The only time I ever mentioned it was in my ... diary. Remy, I'm so sorry!" That bitch! Josie thought, realizing what her mother must have done. Checking up on her most personal experiences like that! Now, she'd gone and ruined any chance she might have had of spending more time with Remy.

"Don't worry about it. It's not a big deal, I just called to make sure everything was okay between the two of you, and that she wasn't going overboard on you about the whole thing. Obviously, she hasn't even said a word to you."

"I didn't even know she knew."

"Well, maybe you should talk to her about it. I don't know. You're lucky she hasn't been hard on you, I guess," he said, not knowing what to make of the situation. "I've got some work to do, so I'd better let you go."

"Wait! Do you want to go get lunch or catch a movie sometime?" Josie tried to ask casually. "I miss being around you -- in a friendship way, of course," she added nonchalantly.

There was an uncomfortably long pause at the other end of the line before Remy finally responded. "Uh, I'm not so sure that's a good idea. Your mom already hates me and all. I think we should wait until this whole thing blows over."

"Yeah, I guess so," Josie echoed. "Thanks for calling." Damn you, Mom! She slammed down the receiver and stalked back into her bedroom.

Erin's Apartment

The two sisters avoided each other with equal amounts of effort in their morning preparations. Neither felt the inclination to divulge the details of her night, nor had the desire to ask the other how her evening had played out. There was a sort of mutual understanding that the party had been a bust.

Now, Erin sat across the table from her sister, silently focusing on the newspaper she was reading. Elisabeth was stirring her cappuccino in an increasingly violent manner, though Erin had yet to see her take a sip of it.

"Could you please not--" Erin started, pointing to the cup. The ringing of the spoon against the mug had finally irritated her into a response -- the first words she'd spoken to her sister all morning. Elisabeth frowned, but carefully lifted the spoon from the cappuccino, wiping it against her napkin.

"What time did you get home last night?" Erin commented absently, still not looking up from the newspaper. Erin had been long asleep before Elisabeth's return.

Releasing a curl of hair she'd been toying with, Elisabeth responded, "Late. Charlie and Mom took me home."

"Charlie," Erin echoed in a whisper, studying her sister's unusually haphazard appearance. Elisabeth appeared to be nursing a hangover from the party or something. It made sense that Charlie would chaffeur her to the door, probably hoping for a chance to speak to Erin in the process.

"Why did you leave before Charlie anyhow?" Elisabeth asked, finally deciding her coffee was cool enough to sip at.

"I was tired. I am pregnant after all," Erin reminded her, though her excuse wasn't quite the truth.

The answer seemed satisfactory to Elisabeth. "How did you get home? I don't remember Charlie leaving the party to drop you off."

Erin wondered why Elisabeth had to continue pressing the issue. What did it matter? Being forced to recall Charlie and Kerrigan's revelation was grating, and she was irritated of receiving the third degree. "Our half-brother offered me a ride. It was actually quite kind of him. But wait, you're always so busy doing your own thing that you probably don't even remember who Abe is! God forbid Elisabeth Emery should spend an entire evening with her family!"

"Shut up, Erin! Just shut the hell up!" Elisabeth screeched, turning red. "You don't know anything, and I don't want to hear you talk about him again!"

Elisabeth retreated to her bedroom, and Erin could hear her sister hastily locking the door behind her.

St. Laurent Community Hospital

Stopping outside the room before entering, the stout, older nurse peered inside. She observed the patient sleeping, and opened the door slowly. The patient's eyes blinked open slowly.

"Oh, I'm sorry I woke you! You really need your rest," the nurse said, maneuvering her way around the bed and replacing the water pitcher with a fresh one. "How are you feeling?"

The woman in the hospital bed didn't speak at first. She felt like a train wreck, to be specific. And on top of that, she felt stupid -- stupid for ending up here in the first place. But she didn't tell the nurse that. Finally, she propped her tired body up against a pillow before responding, "I'm ... better." Truth was, she did feel better. Whether it had to do with the rest, or the drugs, she wasn't quite sure.

"That's great news!" the nurse responded a bit too entusiastically, as she handed a plastic cup to her patient. "Since you're awake, I'd say you're about due for some more."

The woman looked at the pills in the plastic cup with disgust. "Is this really necessary? Can't I just be discharged yet?"

"Dr. Markios wants to check you over once more before releasing you. He's still worried."

"No!" she protested, sitting up more rigidly in the hospital bed. She swallowed down the pills to appease the nurse. "I took the pills, and I'll give the doctor another fifteen minutes or so, but that's it! After that, I'm out of here." She leaned back against the pillow following her diatribe. Okay, so maybe she was slightly weaker and more exhausted than she thought, but still, this was ridiculous.

The nurse tsk-ed at the woman in the bed. "Miss Cortes, I know you think you feel fine now, but you were in serious danger last night."

The Guthrie Home

Josie was lying on her bed, arms and legs outstretched as she stared at the pale ceiling, lost in thought. She was swept away in a tempest of mixed emotions. She was euphoric after Remy's call, realizing he really did care for her and wanted to make sure she was safe. At the same time, however, she was plotting a way to make her mother pay for invading the privacy of her diary.

All she had was Remy. He was the only person who made her feel cared for, unlike her mother, who neglected her and only ruined her chances at happiness to fulfill her own selfish needs. What had ever possessed Martine to read the journal? She'd never cared whether Josie was coming or going, and now she was trying to pull this parenting crap? It was too little too late in Josie's mind.

She needed to get out of this house. Ever since they'd moved into Vincent's imposing playpen, she'd lost any sort of connection she'd ever shared with her mother. She couldn't stay there a moment longer.

Tossing several of her belongings and a change of clothes into her knapsack, she swung the door shut behind her. She'd go and stay at Eden's house until she came up with a better plan. She knew Martine would think she was with Remy again, but Josie couldn't care less if her hypocritical mother worried over her disappearance.

In her rush down the stairs, Josie very nearly knocked over Kerrigan, who appeared at the landing. "Damn, you scared me!" Josie gasped.

"Are you headed out?" Kerrigan asked, noting Josie's bag and the sunglasses balanced on top of her dyed, disheveled hair.

"Yeah, I'm going to stay at a friend's tonight," Josie said, crossing the kitchen to the back door. "Tell my mom that I'll be home ... whenever," she said, smirking as she strolled out the door.

Erin's Apartment

Erin finished pulling her auburn hair into a messy ponytail and gave the living room a once over. She didn't think she'd forgotten anything, and it wouldn't have been a big deal if she had since she was just headed downstairs to work at the cafe. Satisfied, she grabbed her keys from the table.

She didn't want to leave like this. She was still unsettled about her sister, who was even more disturbed than usual. True, Erin had snapped at Elisabeth, but usually her younger sister could dish it back in spades. What had set Elisabeth off so? Was there some sort of rift between Elisabeth and Abe that Erin didn't know of?

As Erin prepared to walk out of the apartment, she heard the bedroom door open, and paused as Elisabeth finally emerged. "Are you okay?" Erin asked gently. Her sister cast her a warning glance in Erin's direction before ignoring her once more and heading to the kitchen to scrounge for food.

Well that was just fine! If Elisabeth didn't want to talk to her, far be it for Erin to contest her wishes. She angrily turned her back to her sister and opened the door once more where she was surprised to find Charlie.

"Erin, I need to talk to you," he said before she could speak.

She had thought it would be easy to allow him to explain his actions -- to give him a second chance. At that moment, however, Erin wasn't sure whether she wanted to forgive and forget everything he had done and let the rest of the world disappear, or to slam the door in his face and be done with him.

St. Laurent Police Department

An officer, busy shuffling paperwork, strode past the desk in a heightened gait, alerting Jasper's attention. Officer Kent had been immersed in his work for the past half and hour, and this was the first time he'd broken his concentration long enough to look up from his desk.

Jasper leaned his muscular frame back in his desk chair and stretched his long arms high above his head. He'd had a rough night -- the first of many he'd have to endure without Sonya.

"Kent!" Commander Wilkins barked, appearing behind him like a specter. Jasper jerked forward, startled by his superior, and embarrassed at being caught slacking off, if only for a second. Yet, Wilkins didn't seem angry.

"Yes, Commander?"

Jasper looked up over his shoulder to the older man, who seemed to be dragging his feet over what he was about to say.

"Do we have a go in the Highwind case yet?" Wilkins asked, offhandedly.

"No, nobody's come forward with any information, and the evidence is still being examined to determine if there was foul play," Jasper said, waiting for a reaction that never came. Commander Wilkins still looked perterbed. "But that's not what you wanted to talk to me about, is it?" Jasper guessed.

"Did you hear any news reports today, or late last night?"

"No, I went straight to bed last night and haven't heard any new information since arriving at the station about an hour ago."

"Then there's something you need to know, Kent," Wilkins said, placing his hand on his seated officer's shoulder. "Your girlfriend -- Sonya, is it? She ran her car off the road last night and into a tree. She very nearly ended up in the river. She's at the community hospital right now." Wilkins waited in silence as Jasper digested the news. "I'm really sorry. I would have told you sooner, but I thought you already knew. In fact, I was wondering why you even came in for work this morning."

"May I--"

"Go ahead, take the rest of the afternoon off."

Jasper thanked him and left the building. He knew he shouldn't have let Sonya drive herself home last night. She had been all raw emotions and in no condition to think clearly. Jasper couldn't forgive himself for going against his better judgment, and for allowing Sonya to play off their breakup as though it meant nothing to her. The only question was: Was Sonya's wreck accidental, or had the river been the target she was aiming for?