Previously:

Beau and Kerri struggled to maintain their working relationship at the X-Limit despite the cracks in their personal lives and Kerri's pregnancy.

Vincent Guthrie hired Sonya to investigate his ex-wife Giselle's new 'friend,' Father Bartlett. Sonya discovered the Catholic priest had left his position at his church for reasons unknown, casting an even greater suspicion over him in Sonya and Vincent's eyes...

Arrogant snowboarder Jonothan Albion threw the Highwind for a loop when he brought a camera crew to the resort and announced that he was filming a reality series. Remy was less than impressed with the project and its potential to divert Jono's focus from the X-Limit's snowboarding exhibition.

 

The Highwind X-Limit - Exosphere

At the Exosphere, the X-Limit's lodge and headquarters, Beau and Kerri had spent the morning discussing the itinerary and last minute details of the weekend's grand opening.

Some of the world's top names in extreme sports would be there. Kerri was grateful for the pressure of the looming exhibition - it helped her take her mind off her troubles with Beau. It was something else to pour her energy into, even if the two of them were working hand in hand on the event.

So far, the morning had gone without a hitch. They had simply talked business and firmed up their plans for the exhibition race, the venues, the food and musical acts -- though Kerri had noticed a few awkward lapses in conversation or moments when Beau seemed distracted, like he was just waiting for an opening to really speak to her. She'd had a few of those moments herself.

She wished she knew what to say to make things better. As angry as she had been with him, she did love Beau, and she did want to work things out between them before the baby came. She wanted her family and her life back.

Martine had lashed out at her the other day for turning to Charlie after her fight with Beau, and maybe she'd had a bit of a point. Of course Charlie deserved to know the truth about the accident as much as she did, but relying on her ex-husband as much as Kerri had wasn't going to mend the problem with Beau. It was bound to make things worse. Her time apart from him had shown her that much.

When her anger had been at its worst, she'd needed that distance to make sense of it all. But being apart was only hurting them now. With each day, she felt their relationship slipping further and further out of her grasp. The only way they would ever repair the rift between them was to stop avoiding the issue and to work through it together.

"Did they finish the stage this afternoon?" Beau asked. He walked and looked out the window. "I guess I can't see it from here."

A stage was being constructed for the musical acts that would be performing at the opening celebration. "It's finished," she nodded.

"Well, that's about it then. Can you think of anything else?" Beau asked when they were finished going over the schedule of events.

Kerri could think of more than a few unresolved issues to discuss, but they had little to do with the Highwind.

"I think we're good," she answered instead.

She watched him, his blue eyes wide with uncertainty as he thought over her words. She felt the same sort of hesitation, as if they were both deciding whether it was best to say what they both seemed afraid to say, or if they should leave this meeting a strictly business-related affair.

"Good," he said, echoing her. Beau gathered up his papers in an awkward shuffle.

Kerri caught herself watching him a little too intensely. It had been a while now since the two of them had been alone together, and it wasn't the first time that day she'd had to force herself to look away from him, mesmerized by his eyes, his lips, the forelock of hair that fell into his eyes as he leaned down to retrieve an escaped paper, his strong forearms with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows...

She blinked and looked away.

"I guess I should be going then…" she announced.

"Kerri, wait--"

She looked to him, hanging on his words. "Yes?"

"I was going to ask…" he studied her closely, and she gave him an tentative smile, secretly urging him to continue and open up to her. "It's getting late. How do you feel about dinner? Maybe we could talk a little more?"

Her smile widened. "I think I'd like that."

 

The Highwind - Giselle's Office

"Thank you for bringing this to me," Giselle said, reading through the scheduled events for the X-Limit's grand opening extravaganza. "It looks as though everything is in order."

"Down to the last detail," Remy said proudly.

"And the musical acts?"

"The stage construction was finished today, and the band's flying in tonight."

"Wonderful," Giselle said, though she couldn't admit to having much of a clue about the musicians they'd booked or their popularity or relevance. "Did we get that Lady Gaga person Elena has been yammering on about?" she asked, flipping through the portfolio they'd assembled of potential musical acts. "Which one is she again?"

Remy flipped a few pages in the portfolio until he found Gaga's photograph and tour rider. "We didn't end up going with her. She was too expensive and her demands ... well, they were a little bizarre to say the least. She's a real character. Here, look."

Giselle looked at the wildly costumed performer's promo images, wondering what it was exactly that qualified as 'celebrity' these days. "Who is this person? I don't even know if this is a man or a woman."

Remy snorted a laugh. "You can't say that about someone! Well, it doesn't matter, I guess, since we didn't book her."

"Whatever you think is best," Giselle said, closing the book. "You're more familiar with these types of things anyway, so I'll just have to take your advice on the matter."

She looked through the X-Limit itinerary again, impressed at how far the project had come under the guidance of her sons and Kerri. "I have to say, I never expected you to take such initiative when I asked Beau to bring you aboard the X-Limit."

Remy shifted uncomfortably in his chair. She knew she didn't praise him often, and, normally, she'd had good reason to be critical of him.

"I wasn't sure you'd be able to clean up your act. After everything that happened with Monique, and the drugs, and the way we were at each other's throats for a while there ... I'm glad this opportunity came along for us to repair even a fraction of what's transpired -- between all of us," Giselle said.

She'd been sincere in her attempts to make more of an effort with her family and to relinquish the iron grip she held over the Highwind. Shockingly, it seemed to be working out for her. The X-Limit was carrying along nicely under Beau and Kerri's watch, and her relationship with her sons, still more distant than she cared to admit, was in a better place today than it had been in years.

She was grateful she had listened to Liam's advice about the importance of her family, something she'd so often overlooked. She never would have thought that being accused of Monique Champlain's murder might have had positive repercussions or changed her life for the better. The world worked in mysterious ways...

"Well, I'm glad you had so much faith in me," Remy said. Giselle couldn't tell if he meant the comment to be as sarcastic as it came across.

With a bit of grooming and his newfound sense of motivation, Giselle was beginning to think Remy could someday be a force to be reckoned with, especially when he was involved with a project as suited to his interests as the X-Limit was turning out to be. "I think having some responsibility has been good for you. I didn't know that side of you existed, frankly."

"Frankly," he smiled slyly, "it didn't. Not until recently, at least."

"A little power can be exhilarating, can't it?" she asked. "And you still have so much to look forward to..."

Before she could go on, a familiar face appeared in the open doorway. "Giselle. I'm sorry to interrupt."

"Not a problem. I was just on my way out," Remy said, taking his leave. "I'll talk to you tomorrow," he said to his mother before departing.

"Ms. Cortes. Was I expecting you?" Giselle asked, as the town busybody entered the office in her wheelchair. She didn't remember scheduling an appointment with the woman.

"No," Sonya said hesitantly. "There was something ... I was asked to speak to you about."

Giselle's curiosity was officially piqued. "Go on, then." This should be good, she thought, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I wanted to talk to you about Liam Bartlett..."

 

The Highwind

The Highwind Resort was officially a madhouse. With the X-Limit opening only two days off, tensions were already running high -- and that was before Jonothan Albion and his reality show entourage wedged themselves into the equation.

To the Highwind guests, the cameras were exciting. Everyone was curious to know what was being filmed, as they tried to sneak their way into the spotlight. To Scarlet Deshpande, however, Jono's latest endeavor was an unnecessary and unwelcome sideshow. An ill-timed train wreck was more like it. Why did he have to do this to them now when they already had so much to worry about? Scarlet wondered, as she roped off a hallway for the production crew.

Filming so far seemed to consist of various takes of Jono striding down the same hall over and over, mugging into the camera. She stifled a laugh as his director ordered him to walk down the hall yet again -- but with 'smoldering eyes' this time.

"I never knew filming a reality show could be so ... tedious," Paul Schultz whispered to her distastefully when she joined him at his side. Scarlet shared a laugh with him and backed out of the shot, as Sloane Stark approached them.

"Everyone! Quiet!" Sloane ordered them, appearing somewhat frazzled after their unproductive morning.

Just as Sloane finished speaking, the cameras were rolling, and Elena appeared around the corner to meet Jono.

"Good morning, Elena," Jono said, the cameras following his path as he embraced her.

"Since when did they start hugging in passing?" Scarlet was unimpressed. Jono was obviously playing up to the cameras, knowing Elena would be too polite to shut him down.

But Elena slipped out of his grasp seamlessly. "Good morning ... Did you just get back from practice? The snowboarding exhibition is this weekend ... Do you think you're ready? I know you can do it."

Her words sounded so forced, her voice measured and robotic. And that dialogue! Scarlet could tell it must have been scripted, but who the hell was writing this drivel? There was no way Elena would say these things. Of course Jono knew the exhibition was this weekend, why did they think Elena needed to remind him?

"Everyone's betting on you to win the race," Elena said with a radiant, camera-friendly smile.

"I can't believe she agreed to be involved with this. Bowing down to him?" Scarlet muttered under her breath to Paul.

"I don't know. It's kind of entertaining. Fictional, but entertaining," Paul admitted.

She turned to him in disbelief. "Are we watching the same abomination?" She could tell from his shit-eating grin that he was just winding her up.

"You're all betting on me? What's to bet? Was there ever any doubt I'd win?" Jono asked.

"Don't be so full of yourself," Elena teased.

"Well, if you're so skeptical, why don't we make a little wager of our own? How about, if I win the exhibition race, you agree to go on a date with me. Sounds fair, right?"

Elena froze and looked to the cameras. "This wasn't in the script," she said, confused.

"Just go with it. Agree to the bet. It'll be a good storyline," Sloane urged.

"No!" Scarlet interrupted, barging into the picture. She took Elena's hands. "Elena, don't let them make you do anything you're not comfortable with." She narrowed her eyes at Sloane. "Why are you telling her what to do?"

Sloane gave her a patronizing smile. "It's called acting."

"Some reality this is shaping up to be," Paul snarked from the sidelines. "Don't let them pressure you into some stupid storyline," he said, siding with Scarlet.

"Nobody asked for your opinion," Jono fired. "This isn't part of the script. I wouldn't ask you if I didn't mean it," he said, taking Elena's hand. He signaled the crew to resume filming. "So, what do you say?" He didn't miss a beat. "If I win, I get to take you out?"

"I don't know, Jono," Elena said.

"I won't show up for the competition unless you agree," he said petulantly, more like a spoiled child not getting his way than an actual threat. "What do you have to lose?"

Her dignity? Scarlet thought to herself. "Get a grip, Jono. She said no."

"Will you get her out of here!" Sloane shouted, losing her cool. She sent her crew members after Scarlet. "You're ruining everything! We're making this a closed set. Everyone, back off!"

"This isn't a set! It's a place of business," Scarlet decried, shrugging away from Sloane's goons.

"Then maybe you should go do some work for a change, and leave us alone," Sloane fought back.

Elena darted between the two of them just in time to stop Scarlet from going wild on Sloane. "That's enough," Elena said. "I'm sorry for upsetting everyone, but we can't afford to have some big argument over this right now. I'm sorry," she repeatedly quietly, apologizing to Scarlet this time.

Elena ran off, leaving the agitated crew and Highwind employees to their own devices.

"Fine. Everyone take a break. We'll pick this up later." Sloane dragged Jono away and stormed off down the hall.

"What have we gotten ourselves into?" Paul asked Scarlet, shaking his head as they watched the cast and crew trickle away.

 

Caprice Restaurant

After their terse X-Limit debriefing earlier that afternoon, Kerri and Beau had left the Highwind agreeing to meet up at Caprice for dinner. The Mediterranean-style restaurant he'd suggested was more high-end than Kerri originally envisioned when Beau invited her to dinner, but she was just grateful for the chance to sit down and talk with him.

Kerri had run back to the Guthrie home, allowing herself a quick shower before changing into something a little nicer for the occasion. She hadn't had an opportunity or a reason to dress up for a while, and she found it to be a welcome change of pace.

Now, arriving at the restaurant, Kerri felt as anxious as she would on a first date. In a way, she enjoyed the fluttering of her nerves. It made her feel as though this could really work. That this could really be a new start for her and Beau.

The night she'd walked out on him, she barely recognized the mess their relationship had become. Beau had kept the truth about her accident from her, hoping to protect her and keep her out of harm's way by dealing with Miles and the D'Amatos on his own. She was still angry that he hadn't told her what he knew the moment he found out, but after the initial shock wore off, she knew Beau was only trying to do the right thing -- or at least what he thought was the best thing for her.

So while she didn't agree with his decisions, she was beginning to understand them and to forgive him, knowing it was only his love for her that drove him to such measures. Even when she was at her most livid, she'd never stopped caring for him either. Maybe that was the common ground they needed to fix their fractured bond.

She wanted this to go well. She wanted it so badly, even more when she saw him. He looked striking in a coal-colored Theory blazer she'd bought for him earlier that year over a blue dress shirt that matched his eyes.

"Thanks for coming. I was getting worried for a minute there," he gave her his perfect grin.

"I would never stand you up." She returned his smile and took her seat at the table. "I love the blazer. You have great taste."

"I do, don't I?" he asked, fiddling with his sleeves.

"And your hair looks great. Did you get it cut?" Kerri admired. She had already noticed earlier in the day, but at that time, her goal had been keeping her eyes off of him and focused on the job.

"Yeah, I guess. A couple days ago," he said. "But seriously, thanks for meeting me. I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too," she admitted, a sadness in her words as she reached out to take his hand. He kissed it lightly, and the weirdly inappropriate 'first-date' jitters she'd been experiencing were back in full force.

The server brought them some water and took their drink orders. Kerri drank nearly half the glass in one swallow.

"I owe you an apology, Beau," she said, once she'd collected herself. "I never meant for things to get so out of hand between us. I was upset, but I only made things worse by running away from the issue."

Beau shook his head. "You don't have to apologize. What I did was wrong. What I kept from you -- what I said to you..."

She thought back to the angry words they'd both exchanged with one another since then. "I was just as mean to you. If I could go back, knowing what I know now, seeing what's happened to us -- I would have handled it all so differently."

She felt the threat of tears, thinking of all the unnecessary hostility that had built up between them.

"Maybe. But we can't go back. I wouldn't want to, anyway," he said.

His words threw her for a loop. Didn't he want to work things out? "You wouldn't?" she asked through her confusion.

"No. Things have to change, if we're going to get through this. The way I treated you ... you told me you felt like an accessory, and less like an actual partner in our relationship. I would never want you to feel like that again. It would have to be different in so many ways."

"I know you only wanted what was best for me -- as annoying as that can be, I understand it, at least," she said, her nerves fading as the tension began to thaw between them.

"I took you for granted for so long. I didn't even see the problems in our relationship until you pointed them out to me, because I was so convinced things were perfect. I'd already decided our future together and how things were going to be," he admitted. "But it's not that simple, is it?"

"It's never that simple."

"Then that's what I need to work on. I have to learn how to listen, right? I can't control everything, and I can't decide what's best for us, so I'll leave it to you."

"That's not exactly what I had in mind..." she trailed off. "We should work through things together, not--"

"Nope! Tonight, you get to decide," he cut her off. "I have to learn to let go once in a while, right?"

Kerri was baffled. "What do you ... what are you talking about?"

She followed his gaze to the waiter who appeared at their table. "Are you ready to order?" he asked.

"Order for me," Beau smirked. "Tonight, you call the shots. It's your turn to make the decisions in our relationship. It'll be a good learning experience for me."

Kerri gave an embarrassed laugh, but looked down at the menu. "Fine. I'll have the sautéed Atlantic salmon, and Beau, you can have..." she perused the menu with her fingertip, "the grilled lambchops with wild mushrooms."

The waiter took their orders and their menus, then left the table.

"Did I do okay?" Kerri asked.

Beau laughed. "It doesn't really matter to me."

"But you hate mushrooms, and you let me order them for you anyway?"

"Yeah, I know! I didn't want to burst your bubble, in case you thought you did a good job. But if you knew, why did you order them for me?"

"To see if you were really serious about letting me take charge. And I guess you must have been, since you didn't stop me." He'd passed her test. "But one person can't always decide what's best for the other in a relationship. It's about communication. That's the point I was trying to prove to you," she teased.

"Then I'd better go communicate to our waiter the fact that I despise mushrooms and would appreciate them being left off the plate," he cracked.

Kerri laughed to herself as she watched Beau take off after their waiter. She wasn't sure what she'd expected going into this evening with Beau, but, so far, it was better than she could have hoped for. Being here with him now reminded her of all the reasons she'd fallen for him in the first place. It strengthened her resolve to work through their problems and to give him another chance. She knew they could make it work. This time, she wouldn't give up.

 

The Highwind - Giselle's Office

"What could you possibly have to say to me about Liam?" Giselle asked, already irritated. Whatever Sonya had come to say, she didn't want to hear it. She could sense where this was headed. "Do you even know him?"

"No. Not really," Sonya started.

"Then what? What did you come to tell me?" Giselle looked at her like she was loco.

Sonya sighed. "I really didn't want to get involved," she prefaced, "but Vincent was concerned for you. He asked me to find out more about Father Bartlett and what the man wanted from you. Vincent thought he might be using you."

"Liam and I are friends, Sonya. Is it so hard to believe that we simply enjoy each other's company?" Sonya could barely conceal her skepticism, and Giselle shot her a withering look. "Nevermind. Don't answer that. I don't need your opinion on the matter, that's for sure."

Sonya wheeled closer, her expression softening. "I know the fact that Vincent hired me to look into this is a bit extreme. I had some reservations myself, but he's only doing this because he loves you. He's worried."

"We're divorced! I have a restraining order against him, which is probably the only reason he's hired you as his mouthpiece. The only person I need protection from is Vincent and his unhealthy obsession with my personal life. Did you see what he sent me?" Giselle asked, producing from her file cabinet the threatening letters she'd received over the past several months. "I'm sure they are part of some plot of his to scare me away from Liam and back into his arms."

Sonya looked over the threats. "What if they're not? Giselle, you shouldn't take this lightly..."

"I'm not," she said. "But I know they're not from Liam, no matter how Vincent tries to convince me otherwise."

"How well do you really know him? I'll admit, I thought Vincent was overreacting at first, too."

"But now?"

"I feel like Father Bartlett is hiding something," Sonya said. "Has he told you that he left his church? He quit without so much as an explanation. Nobody in his congregation knows what's going on. Did you know?"

Giselle narrowed her eyes at Sonya, but shook her head.

"I didn't think so," Sonya said.

"It doesn't matter to me," Giselle blurted out, standing from her desk and pacing. "I'm sure he was planning to tell me. It's not exactly something he could keep to himself for long. I don't see what it has to do with me, anyway. People quit their jobs all the time."

"Giselle..."

"This doesn't prove anything!" she snapped. "What? Do you think he quit his church to become a full-time stalker and death threat author?" She picked up the letters and threw them aside. "He's not a bad person, and I won't have you sitting here casting aspersions."

Giselle crossed the room and gripped Sonya's wheelchair by its handles, pushing her toward the door. "We're done here," she announced.

Sonya was taken aback. She locked the brakes of her chair and stopped on a dime with Giselle nearly flying over top of her.

"Enough!" Giselle barked, thwarted in her attempt to physically remove Sonya from her presence. "Get out of my office, this instant! And stay away from Liam. Drop it," she warned.

"Just be careful, okay?" Sonya advised.

"I'll do what I damned well please!"

Sonya left of her own accord, with Giselle slamming the door in her wake. Alone now, she resumed her pacing. She wasn't sure what Sonya thought she had proved with her discovery. Whatever it meant, Giselle couldn't help but wonder when Liam had planned to share this new development with her.

 

The Highwind

Hours later, Scarlet was still worked up over her fight with Sloane as she and Paul were gathering their belongings and preparing to leave for the airport. The two of them were set to personally welcome the musical act and the remaining athletes arriving for the X-Limit launch and to escort them back to their rooms at the Highwind. Scarlet hoped she could shake her bad mood by the time she met up with the talent ... or at least fake it enough that they wouldn't notice.

"Are you ready?" she asked Paul, whipping her purse over one shoulder so quickly that its contents went flying out of the unzipped pouch. "Dammit." She kneeled and began retrieving her escaped lipsticks, aspirin bottles, and loose change from the floor.

"Are you all right?" Paul knelt to assist her. "Don't tell me you're still upset over that thing with Sloane and Jonothan."

"I'm not," she lied badly. Paul arched an unconvinced eyebrow. "Okay. Maybe I am. I just don't like the way they're using Elena and trying to get her to go along with their pre-planned, half-assed storylines for the series. I wish she would tell them to buzz off and go fabricate someone else's life."

"Trust me, I get it," Paul said. "Elena doesn't seem like a pushover by any means, but I think she's worried about making sure everything goes smoothly with the X-Limit. You know how much she and Giselle have been stressing over things."

"I know she only wants to keep Jonothan placated until this blows over, but ... she's been giving him so much attention. She's playing right into his hands."

"She's caught in the middle, that's for sure. She's a good girl, and at least she has you to look out for her. I'll help out in any way I can. I don't want to see her exploited any more than you do. You're a good friend to her."

Scarlet smiled appreciatively.

"I'll meet you outside." Paul collected his bag and walked out of the office.

"I'm a good friend," Scarlet whispered to herself. She wondered if that was the same way Elena felt about her. The lines of their friendship had become blurred in the past few months, but Scarlet wondered if her own optimism had tinged the way she viewed their interactions. They'd discussed whatever it was between them, but only at a surface level. Just that Elena might be open to such a possibility. But was Elena only saying these things because it was what she thought Scarlet wanted to hear?

Maybe investing so much in Elena had been a mistake. It wasn't the first time Scarlet had let herself fall for a straight girl. She should have known better. It had never gone her way in the past. Still, a part of her thought there was something more this time. Something worth exploring...

Either way, she didn't have time to dwell on it now. She finished locking up her office and stepped into the hall, searching for Paul. She spotted him across the room, near the front door of the Highwind. He was in the middle of a phone call, and Scarlet hung back, not wanting to interrupt.

"Everything's fine. Will you stop worrying?" Paul said, raising his voice to the caller in a frustrated way Scarlet had never heard from him before. He didn't notice her, and continued to speak sharply to whoever was on the other end of the line. "...Then don't speak to me like a child, Claudia. I know what I'm doing. Giselle has no idea."

Scarlet pressed her back to the wall, hiding in the hallway when she overheard Paul mention Claudia's name. She should have known Paul wouldn't speak to Giselle or Elena in such a tone, but why was he talking to Claudia, who Scarlet had come to determine was persona non grata with Giselle? Something didn't add up.

"We'll talk about this later," Paul snapped. It sounded like the call had ended on a sour note.

Scarlet tried to make sense of what she'd heard. Giselle has no idea. What was Paul up to?

She collected herself, regained her composure, and strolled around the corner as if everything was normal. "Sorry to keep you waiting. Ready to go?" she asked, hoping he didn't see her lips trembling as she offered up a friendly smile.

"Sure am," he said, holding the door open for her. "After you."

Scarlet searched his expression for a second too long, but all she got from him was the same polite, friendly Paul she'd grown accustomed to working with. No sign of the agitation he'd displayed only a second ago.

"Thanks," Scarlet said, an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach as she led him to their car.