Previously:

Remy came aboard the X-Limit project, at Giselle's request. He discovered he'd been given his own secretary, Krissy, who challenged him to take his new job seriously.

Vincent interrupted another moment between Giselle and Father Bartlett. Giselle warned Vincent to back off.

Charlie had a talk with Martine, convincing her to give Tyson a chance.

Note: This episode was guest-written by Andy Eckles of The Blackthornes,
as part of the Webseries Writer Swap project.

The X-Limit

In her hands, Krissy Holbrook balanced a steaming hot cup of coffee, a folder of newspaper clippings, and a stack of phone messages. She struggled with the door, somehow managing to manipulate it open using her elbow and a swing of her hips without spilling a drop of coffee. Once inside the office, she was perturbed to find Remy Ormand standing at the window in a dream-like state instead of offering to help with her armload of supplies.

“I have those articles you asked for,” she said, struggling toward the small conference table. “And your coffee, and some phone messa-“

“Did you hear about the eclipse?” Remy asked when he finally turned away from the floor to ceiling windows. Sunlight filtered into the office, drawing obscure shadows onto the far wall.

“What?’” Krissy asked, distracted as she dropped the files onto the table and breathed a sigh of relief once her hands were finally free and again she hadn’t spilled the coffee.

“This afternoon,” Remy explained. “There’s going to be an eclipse. You know, when the moon blocks the sun from earth’s view. Don’t tell me I have to give you a science lesson. They don’t happen very often, but-“

“That kind of stuff doesn’t interest me,” Krissy said with a smile, scrunching her nose and giving an apologetic shrug of her shoulders. “I failed science in school, but I do know what an eclipse is.”

“Well, don’t you think it’s cool?”

“So it gets dark for a few minutes in the middle of the day. It’s just not that interesting.” With a sigh, she handed him his phone messages. “Jonothan Albion called a few minutes ago. He wants to set up a time to come tour the Highwind.”

Remy turned back to the windows, noting by the moon’s increasing proximity to the sun. He glanced at his watch and realized it was only about an hour till the big event.

“Remy?” Krissy asked, hoping to jar him back to reality. “Jonothan Albion wants to come for a tour. Remember you invited him to check out the X-Limit?”

“Huh?” he asked and turned to her again. “Oh, right. Good. Just call him back and set up a time. It doesn’t matter when.”

Irritated by his lack of interest and ability to focus, Krissy sighed, then turned and started to the door in a huff. “Fine, I’ll call him back myself.”

Detecting a note of frustration in her voice, Remy approached her and stopped her from leaving. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

She shook a tangle of blond hair over her shoulder and threw her hands up in resignation. “Nothing. I just thought that things would be different, that’s all.”

“What things?”

Searching for the right words to express herself, Krissy folded her arms across her chest and gathered her thoughts. “It’s just that this is my first real job. My mom and dad were so proud of me for getting it, and I take it very seriously. I’m trying to be a professional and to make a good impression, not only on you but on your mother.”

“Yeah?” Remy asked. “So?”

“So you’re not making it very easy when you don’t even pretend to care about working here,” Krissy continued. “And if you don’t care then why should I?”

Deciding that she was adorable when she got worked up, Remy cracked a crooked smile and took a few steps closer to her. “You’re a little spitfire, aren’t you?” he asked in amusement.

“What?”

“When you get upset,” he continued. “It’s kind of sexy.”

Uncomfortable by their close proximity, Krissy took a step back toward the door and tried not to look directly at him. “As I said, I’m trying to be professional and I think you should do the same thing.”

Still enchanted by her feisty nature, Remy continued to close the gap between their bodies. He detected an intoxicating mixture of coconut and peach emanating from her skin. Placing a hand along her shoulder, he leaned in and moved his lips dangerously close to hers. After a moment or two of gauging her reaction, he decided she was more than willing. He kissed her long and hard with plenty of tongue, moving his hand down to her waist and pulling her against him.

“Professionalism is overrated,” Remy said between hurried kisses. He carried her to the conference table and sat her on the edge, lifting her legs in the air and pulling up her skirt.

Krissy hastily decided he was right, fumbling with the buttons on his shirt and running her hands down his chiseled body. She took in heaping gulps of air, short of breath as she aided him in unfastening his trousers and dropping them to the floor.

Remy, no longer distracted by the eclipse, now focused his full attention on his beautiful blond secretary. He pulled off his shirt and leaned in, expertly removing her lacy pink underwear and guiding himself in. Shrieks of delight escaped her dry mouth. Remy positioned her legs over his shoulders and they began making urgent, passionate love on the table, knocking the cup of coffee onto the floor where it finally spilled.

 

The Highwind

The door to the conference room flew open and Giselle Ormand raced inside, cloaked in a tan trench coat, wide-brimmed hat, and large round sunglasses covering her eyes. She darted across the room, peered outside through the blinds and quickly drew them shut before leaning against the wall and breathing a sigh of relief.

“Quite an entrance,” muttered Elena Halstrom as she exchanged harried glances with Beau Ormand and Kerrigan Guthrie.

“Yeah, what’s with the getup, mom?” Beau inquired, turning his attention away from a blueprint of the X-Limit that was spread across the table. “You look like you’re on the run from the mob.”

“It’s much worse than that,” Giselle declared and turned to peer out the window again. “I just left Father Bartlett at the coffee shop.”

“Oh, him again,” Beau groaned and turned away with disinterest.

Giselle ignored her son’s remark. “We spent a lovely morning together, laughing and talking, when who do I see leering at us from across the room but Vincent. He’s stalking me, I swear. He conveniently turns up wherever I go, especially when I’m with Liam.”

“That’s because he still cares about you,” Kerrigan said and crossed the room toward her. “Are you forgetting the little skirmish he and Father Bartlett had on the lawn at Christmas? It’s like he was staking his claim. I think it’s kind of romantic.”

“That’s ridiculous. I’ve made it perfectly clear to Vincent that I have no feelings whatsoever for him. I’m not his claim to stake. And as a result, I’ve never felt more in control of my life.”

“Are you sure about that?” Beau asked. “Because it seems to me like you don’t know what you want.”

“I beg your pardon?” Giselle asked, shedding her disguise and tossing it haphazardly onto a chair.

He shrugged and leaned against the table. “Well, you say you don’t care about Vincent, but if you ask me, Father Bartlett doesn’t exactly seem like your type.”

“I care about Liam very much. I like the way he makes me feel.”

“What do you mean?” Kerri asked and sat down next to her.

Searching for the words, Giselle stared off for a minute before crossing her legs and folding her hands neatly in her lap. “He sees things in me that nobody else does. Things that I don’t even see.” A pause while she searched her feelings. “And that makes me want to be a better person.”

Beau rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Or maybe you like him because he’s unattainable,” he suggested. “He’s a priest so there’s no risk of getting romantically involved with him and therefore no risk of getting hurt like you did with Vincent.”

“It does sound like a defense mechanism,” Elena agreed.

Giselle sighed dramatically and traipsed across the room. “I don’t know. I really do care about Liam and enjoy spending time with him. But he’s a priest, and you’re right, he’s off limits.”

“You know, this same thing happened once on the daytime soap The Young at Heart,” Kerri interjected with a hint of excitement in her voice. “Faye Richards was between husbands number four and five when she met the man of her dreams. The only problem was he was a man of the cloth.”

Giselle rolled her eyes. “I know I’m going to regret this, because I’m about to get advice from a fictional television character, but what did she do?”

Without wasting a beat, Kerri continued. “Well, they did everything they could to fight their feelings. They tried to stay away from each other, they took cold showers, they went to confession, but eventually they couldn’t fight it anymore so they just gave up and checked into a Best Western.”

“Um, that’s probably not a helpful story in this situation, Kerri,” Beau said and slipped his arm around her waist. “Not to mention the fact I don’t really want to think about my mother having an affair with a priest.”

Sighing, Giselle flung herself into a chair at the conference table. “I’m not going to have an affair with him,” she said, then decided to change the subject for the time being. “So Beau, how is Remy working out at the X-Limit?”

Beau nodded and dug his hands deep in his pockets. “Very well actually,” he said with reassurance. “I have to hand it to Remy. He’s a very hard worker.”

 

Pathway Pines Counseling Center

Walking in heels was hard enough, but walking in heels carrying a baby was next to impossible. That and the mob of people outside waiting for the eclipse was enough to put a damper on her entire expedition. She was barely able to make it inside the building.

But once she was inside, Martine Guthrie ambled down the corridor at the Pathway Pines Counseling Center, balancing Brody in her arms and pushing her way through the glass doors into the area outside Tyson's office.

They ran into each other by the reception desk and both laughed awkwardly for a second followed by a few moments of silence.

"What brings you down here in the middle of the day?" Tyson asked, retracting his pen and slipping it into his pocket. He stroked Brody's cheek and looked proudly at his son.

"We were at home thinking about you and wanted to surprise you for lunch," Martine beamed happily, her eyes darting back and forth between him and Brody. "I hope that's okay."

"It's more than okay," Tyson said. "I just had a client cancel, so I have some extra time. Where would you like to go?"

"Actually," Martine began with a certain amount of fanfare. "I packed a picnic and brought with me. Your assistant already set it up in the break room. I hope you're in the mood for goose pate, French bread, cheese, hummus, and chilled green tea."

Raising an eyebrow, Tyson studied her face carefully. "I'm notably impressed by the effort," he declared with a slight grin. "But I have to be honest, Martine, I'm also very surprised, and a little curious. Why would you go to so much trouble?"

Choosing her words carefully, Martine shifted Brody to the other arm and reached a hand out to Tyson. "Because I've been acting like a fool," she said, laughing softly in an effort to break the awkward silence. "And because I've been taking you for granted for far too long. You've done so much for me, Tyson. It's time that I showed you how wonderful I think you are."

Overcome with emotion, Tyson was nearly jarred back a step. He dug his hands into his pockets and looked at her with surprise.

"Wow," was all he was able to manage.

Martine laughed. "Wow?" she asked. "Is that all you can say? I slave away all morning on a picnic lunch, pack up half of Brody's things in the diaper bag, and haul everything down here and all you can say is wow?"

Now it was Tyson's turn to laugh. "Sorry. This is just a very nice surprise."

"Well, I figured it was about time," she said, growing more serious now.

Tyson pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. "You're amazing."

"So are you," she said with a grin. "So what do you say we go dig into that gourmet meal? This is a celebration, after all."

"What are we celebrating?" Tyson asked. "Other than me being so wonderful, that is."

"Oh, didn't I tell you?" Martine continued with mock disinterest.

"Tell me what?"

Again, Martine grew more serious. "I know I'm an idiot for not saying this sooner, and I hope I haven't messed everything up. I mean, I was wrong to blow up at you for suggesting it. I was just scared. I love how things are between us and I was just afraid of it getting messed up."

"Martine, what are you trying to say?" Tyson pried.

She took a deep breath. "I want us to live together," she finally admitted. "If you'll still have me, that is."

"If I'll still have you?" Tyson asked ecstatically and threw his arms around her and Brody. He kissed her repeatedly, overjoyed by the news. "Of course I'll still have you!"

Thrilled by his reaction, Martine closed her eyes and held him tightly. She was suddenly very glad that she took Charlie's advice. Tyson was a good guy, after all, and she deserved to be happy. They both did. And just as importantly, Brody deserved to be raised in a home with both his mother and his father.

 

The X-Limit

Round two started on the desk, moved to the floor, and ended with Remy mounting Krissy from behind on the sofa in his office. Their faces flushed and their naked bodies drenched in sweat from the physical exertion, neither paid any attention to the sky that was slowly growing darker by the minute. The shadows that danced against the wall gradually disappeared, sunlight vanished instantaneously, and finally left them in complete darkness, yet still neither one noticed.

"You are incredible," Krissy called out, her voice muffled as she bit into the arm of the sofa.

Panting with exhaustion, Remy continued his rhythmic thrusting, briefly recalling something about an eclipse just as he reached the point of no return and groaned with unprecedented pleasure.

"Wow," Krissy said, trying to catch her breath.

"Isn't eclipse sex the best?" Remy asked and got up off the sofa, his knees weak and his legs feeling like they were made of rubber.

Krissy laughed and reached for her clothes. "You're still on that?" she asked, then peered out the window. "Wow, it really is dark. How long will it stay like that?"

"A few minutes," Remy said, turning on a lamp so that they had light to find their clothes. He pulled on his pants and then passed her blouse over to her. "That was amazing, by the way. Especially the second time."

"Yes, it was," she said and quickly pulled on her clothes. "But it can't happen again."

Remy frowned and zipped up his fly. "What do you mean it can't happen again?" he asked. "Don't even try to tell me that you didn't--"

"I told you it was fantastic," she cut him off. "But it was a mistake. I don't want sex to confuse things between us. I'm not here to be your personal concubine."

"I didn't say you were," Remy said crossly. "Listen, this doesn't have to go outside these walls. No one has to know."

Krissy sighed and buttoned her blouse. "I can't do my job properly if we're having sex. Your mother--"

"What about my mother?" Remy asked and stepped before her.

Hesitating before she continued, Krissy shrugged and tucked her blouse into her skirt. "Your mother didn't just hire me as your secretary. She also asked me to keep an eye on you."

"Keep an eye on me?" he repeated in disbelief. "What are you talking about?"

"She doesn't want you messing up. She asked me to keep you in line so that you don't disappoint everyone."

Remy was devastated. "Is that what she said?" he demanded. "That she thinks I'm going to screw up?"

"She didn't use those exact words," Krissy explained. "But the point is, if whatever this was between us were to continue, it would be jeopardizing both of our careers at the X-Limit, and I for one don't want to see that happen. I need this job, even if you don't."

"So how are you going to explain this to my mother?" Remy asked and gestured to his crumpled shirt lying on the floor.

"I'll leave this out of my report," she replied.

Remy ran his fingers through his hair and turned in exasperation. "Your report? Unless you're forgetting, I'm the boss here. You don't get to do reports on me."

Krissy slipped into her blazer and pulled her hair over the collar. "No, Mrs. Ormand is the boss, and I'm only doing what she asked me to do."

Infuriated that his mother had such lack of faith in him, Remy stormed to the door and pulled it open abruptly. "Well you still work for me," he said. "And as of now your services are no longer needed."

"You can't do that," Krissy said and walked toward him.

"You wanna make a bet?" he asked and gestured to the hall outside. "Get out."

She shrugged indifferently and left the office, cringing when Remy slammed the door closed behind her. He turned around, pacing the dark office and trying to get a handle on what had just happened. What turned out to be a casual mid-day romp turned into something far less pleasurable. His own mother didn't trust him.

 

The Highwind

Giselle made her way from the conference room to her office upstairs. She opened the door and entered, slightly unnerved by the sudden darkness in the middle of the day. She peered outside and saw a tiny sliver of sunlight slowly becoming visible behind the full moon. It seemed quite odd to her that the entire world could be blanketed in darkness in one moment. It was positively eerie.

The sound of the phone ringing startled her and she quickly spun toward her desk. Fumbling around in the darkness, she picked up the receiver and breathed an erratic hello.

"Oh, Liam, hello," she said with a sigh of relief.

She paused, removing her earring and switching the receiver to her other ear. She was suddenly aware that her heart was racing. Could she really be this happy to hear from him? Just the sound of his voice changed her whole mood.

"Dinner this evening? I'd like that very much. Fine. I'll see you at seven."

She hung up the phone and smiled, suddenly less on edge about Vincent and the eclipse and everything else. She switched on the lamp and sat down at her desk, deciding to go through her mail before she headed home and got ready for dinner with Liam.

Just the fact that he called her made her feel special. To know that someone out there was thinking of her, during an eclipse no less, warmed her heart. And so what if their relationship never progressed beyond friendship? She didn't need more than that right now. For once in her life, she wanted a man to care for her, to appreciate her, to make her feel special, without having it complicated by sex and marriage. And maybe Beau was right about one thing. Maybe she was so fond of Liam because he wouldn't break her heart. And what if she was? What was so terrible about that?

Slicing open her mail with a silver leafed letter opener, Giselle half-heartedly skimmed through a collection of donation requests, resumes, and various pieces of junk mail. She sighed with disinterest, barely able to take her mind off of Liam. She slid open a small envelope that had no name or address printing on the front. It didn't immediately occur to her that it hadn't been delivered with the rest of her mail.

Inside the envelope was a small piece of paper. She unfolded it and held it beneath the light from her lamp. Slowly, it came into focus, each word written with deliberate preciseness in large block lettering.

"YOU RUINED MY LIFE!"

Giselle froze, the color drained from her face, and she opened her mouth to scream but nothing would come out. Finally, she found her voice and all she could manage was a feeble "Help! Somebody help me!"

Jumping to her feet, she walked across the room with the letter in hand. Half the sun was now visible again and a single beam of light cut through the darkness. Moments later, Elena raced into the office after hearing Giselle's bloodcurdling screams.

"Giselle?" she exclaimed. "What on earth is wrong with you?"

Giselle held the note out in front of her and shook her head in confusion. Elena stepped forward and inspected the small piece of paper and the hateful words written on it.

"Did you see who delivered this?" Giselle asked.

Elena simply shook her head. "No, I've been with you, Beau, and Kerrigan."

Her hands trembling, Giselle dropped the letter. "Elena, who sent this?" she screamed helplessly.

Elena bent down and retrieved the note. She stepped closer to the window where sunlight came slowly creeping back in. "You ruined my life," she read aloud, then paused, exchanging ominous glances with Giselle. "…and I'm going to ruin yours."

Eyes wide, Giselle clutched her hand to her chest and backed up a few steps until she bumped into her desk. She stopped, staring at the letter in Elena's hands and wondering who on earth could have sent her such a cryptic warning.