2010
Episodes #577-620

As the year began, Brent and Molly Taylor’s marriage was on the rocks. Brent even suggested that, if Molly did not want him to move back into their house, they should legally separate. Molly wanted to work things out but was troubled by his continued investigation into the mastermind behind “Mr. Clayton” and Nick Moriani. Brent had her served with separation papers. A devastated Molly confided in Philip Ragan, who suggested that she travel back east with him for his mother’s charity masquerade ball. Molly accepted the invitation but worried about whether it was appropriate to travel with him. At the airport, they ran into Brent’s brother, Josh, and Lauren Brooks. Josh told Brent that Molly was traveling with Philip.

Meanwhile, Claire Robbins received a call from Tempest Banks, the runaway she had met in Los Angeles. Tempest had hitchhiked all the way to King’s Bay. Claire bought her dinner and found a spot in a shelter for her, but after seeing the shelter firsthand, Claire decided to put her up in a hotel room for the night. The next day, Tempest resisted seeing a social worker, but Claire promised that if she kept the appointment, Tempest could stay at her apartment for the time being. Tempest agreed.

Claire’s son, Travis, was resistant to the idea, but his girlfriend, Elly Vanderbilt, helped him come around. He decided to stay with his father, Tim, so that Tempest could have his room at Claire’s. He and Tempest clashed when they met, but they soon bonded over laughing at Claire. She also introduced Tempest to Bill and Paula Fisher and to Travis’s half-sister, Samantha, who agreed to tutor Tempest in her studies to earn her GED.

Brent was convinced that Philip’s mother, Loretta Ragan, was the woman who had been torturing the Fisher family for years. He reported to Claire that neither the FBI nor local police would move on Loretta. Especially after learning that Molly had gone to Loretta’s home with Philip, Brent felt it was necessary to go confront Loretta himself. He wanted Claire to come with him, but she declined because of her new responsibilities with Tempest. However, when Tempest panicked about all the changes in her life and the accompanying expectations, she ran away in the middle of the night. Claire was despondent and, desperate to keep busy, decided to accompany Brent after all.

Tempest found herself short on money for the bus ticket back to L.A., and she thought about hitchhiking. But the man who picked her up made a move on her, and she was so disgusted that she jumped out of his truck and called Claire. Unfortunately, Claire was on the plane to New Hampshire, so she tried the only other person whose number she had: Samantha, who came and picked her up.

Tim was still dating author Cassandra Ward. When Cassandra’s ex-husband, JD Robinson, paid her a visit, he encountered Tim instead. JD made cryptic comments about Cassandra’s misdeeds and told Tim to mention the word “equinox” to her. Tim confronted Cassandra, who swore that JD was just trying to stir up trouble like always. Uneasy, Tim asked his sister, private investigator, Sarah to look into things. Sarah discovered that Cassandra had inherited a ring bearing the so-called “Equinox Diamond” from her late father and had filed a lawsuit against her mother over the ring. When Cassandra’s mother was killed in an apparent robbery sometime later, the ring was found in a safe in her home. Tim again confronted Cassandra, who grew angry and asked him to leave. In a panic, she contacted JD and warned him to back off; she couldn’t have Tim or anyone else digging into the circumstances of her mother’s death.

Instead, JD went after Tim. He cornered him after hours in the Vision parking garage and made threats toward Tim’s kids. He even pulled a knife on him. Tim informed his brother-in-law, police commander Brent, of the situation. JD went to see Cassandra, and she was furious. Then two police officers, sent by Brent, showed up to question her. JD hid in the closet and managed to go undetected while Cassandra spoke to the police. After they left, JD was enraged that Tim had gone to the police. Tim decided that, regardless of the truth, he had to be done with the relationship in order to protect himself and his children.

JD had other ideas. He hid in the back seat of Samantha’s car and, when she and Tempest got into the vehicle, pulled a gun on them and forced Samantha to drive. He called Tim on her phone and demanded that he call Cassandra and get the necessary information for JD to take possession of the Equinox Diamond. Tim phoned Cassandra but also had Diane call 911. Samantha, panicked and desperate to save her and Tempest’s lives, deliberately steered into a traffic jam on the freeway. The police were able to catch up with them. Samantha and Tempest bolted from the car, and when JD tried to chase them with the gun, the police were waiting for him. He stole the car and drove off down the shoulder of the freeway, and the girls were rescued. Later, word came that JD had died after a car chase resulting in a crash.

Claire arrived in New Hampshire and received word of the incident. The Fishers assured her that Tempest was safe, and she made plans to travel home the next morning. That night, however, was Loretta’s party. Claire and Brent planned to confront her there and goad her into some sort of confession. Meanwhile, Loretta decided that Molly’s presence might be of use to her, and she was pleased when she learned that Claire and Brent were also en route. Her younger son, Spencer, arrived home from boarding school for the party and could tell that Philip was interested in Molly, which Philip was unable to deny convincingly.

Loretta was released on bail for the first set of charges, but she returned for a longer jail stint when the authorities were able to come up with more serious charges. She prepared to face trial and convinced Spencer that Claire was the source of all their problems. Molly and Brent worked to put their problems behind them, and she accompanied him to the appointment where he received his new prosthetic leg. Brent even moved back into their home. Claire reunited with Tempest, who promised not to run away again.

Following the hostage situation, Samantha was traumatized and suffered nightmares. Tim and Diane arranged for her to see a therapist, but she remained disturbed. Tempest had an easier time moving on from the incident but still refused to open up about her history. Cassandra came to Tim to apologize for bringing such trouble into his life. She said that she was going to sell the ring and donate the money to charity to atone for her mistakes. Tim said goodbye, and she left King’s Bay.

Travis was surprised to run into his younger cousin, Tori, at a party being thrown by seniors. He and his friend Landon saved her from an overly aggressive classmate, and Landon gave her a ride home. She didn’t have her key, so he helped her sneak in through the bedroom window. Matt caught them. When Tori returned a sweatshirt to Landon at school, Travis was sure that Landon had a little thing for his cousin.

Travis and Elly both got into KBU, but Elly didn’t want to move to the city where Danielle Taylor, lived, since she was still upset that Danielle had lied about being her biological mother. Travis asked his uncle, Ryan Moriani, to help him reunite Elly and Danielle, whom Ryan was dating. They arranged for both Elly and Danielle to come to Travis’s graduation party without being aware the other would be there, but it blew up in their faces. Elly rejected Travis, and Danielle wanted nothing more to do with Ryan. However, it did finally inspire Elly to give Danielle a second chance. Danielle was overjoyed. Elly made her promise that, when Elly was ready, Danielle would tell her all about her biological father. Danielle agreed but was nervous about dredging that up again. After making peace with Danielle, Elly also cooled toward Travis. They reconciled, and she decided to attend King’s Bay University with him and Landon.

Spencer Ragan learned that, following his mother’s scandalous arrest, all the Ivy League schools had mysteriously rescinded his offers of admission. He wanted to take the year off, but Philip promised to pull some strings. When he did, he had news for his brother: Spencer could attend King’s Bay University. Spencer was horrified by the proposal. He planned to take his trust money and live on his own, but Philip was the trustee and refused to give Spencer the money if he did not move to King’s Bay. Philip wanted a fresh start, away from Loretta and close to their newfound sister, Claire. Spencer began the semester at KBU with a major chip on his shoulder.

Elly and Travis experienced tension as they tried to balance their relationship with the excitement of college life. Elly was especially put off by Travis’s need to spend all their free time together. Meanwhile, Spencer harassed Travis and pulled a minor prank on him. At a finals week party at a campus fraternity, the college students were surprised to find Tori there with her friends. Landon again drove her home, while Elly’s roommate, Georgia, wound up talking with Spencer. Over the holiday break, Elly was alarmed not to hear from Georgia at all.

Claire and Brent traveled to Tacoma, where they located Kathleen Bundy (the mother on the birth certificate) working as a lunch lady at an elementary school. Kathleen told them that she had never married the baby’s father, who was now deceased, and that she waited too long to terminate the pregnancy. Then a Mr. Clayton had approached her and offered to pay for the baby in a private adoption. Clayton and his wife were unable to have children, he told Kathleen. Wanting her child to have a good home, Kathleen signed the baby over to these wealthy people. Claire was floored by the news that Kathleen was not raising a child herself.

She decided not to tell Travis, Tim, or anyone else about her suspicions until she had proof. Under the guise of putting together a comprehensive medical file for the family, Claire took a blood sample from Travis and checked the blood type against that on his birth certificate. As she feared, they did not match. She had all but confirmed that a baby switch had taken place eighteen years before. There was a close call when Travis told Tim about the blood sample, but Claire managed to explain it away. She knew that her next step had to be testing the other boy she suspected had been part of the switch: Spencer.

Jason Fisher was still grieving for his murdered wife, Courtney, and trying to raise their young daughter, Sophie. He insisted to family and friends that he was fine, but he refused to let Sophie out of his sight. He brought her to work and resisted the idea of hiring new employees to fill the gaps left by recent tragic events. His sister, Sarah, delicately informed him of her own engagement and assured him that he didn’t have to come to the wedding if it would be too difficult, but Jason promised to try his best for her.

Lauren Brooks was also mourning her best friend, Courtney, but tried to focus on her career. She and her ex, Josh Taylor, took a trip to Phoenix to pursue a potential client for Willis Advertising. Their target, the owner of Sue Casa’s Mexican restaurant, was impressed by their presentation--but he wanted more from them. He asked Josh to seduce his wife so that he could divorce her for cheating. Lauren was horrified that Josh was considering the proposal and, even worse, didn’t see the ethical problems with it. Back at the hotel, their argument turned to passion, and they slept together. Afterward, Lauren couldn’t believe what had happened, and she tried to slip out of the hotel and catch an earlier flight home. Josh woke up and caught her, but she insisted sleeping with him again was a mistake and, fighting her attraction, left. She told Jason and Alex that it meant nothing, but they weren’t so sure.

Lauren was shocked when she found out that Willis didn’t get the Sue Casa account. Josh confessed that he couldn’t fulfill their potential client’s request after Lauren made him think about the ethics of it. Surprised by his maturity, she slept with him again, and soon afterward, they officially renewed their relationship.

Sarah Fisher, certain that her ex-husband, Matt Gray, had moved on with his life, accepted Graham Colville’s marriage proposal. Sarah also moved into Graham’s home. When Matt found out about the engagement, he was surprisingly devastated but kept his feelings to himself. He wished Sarah and Graham the best. When Matt and Sarah’s daughter, Tori, wanted an expensive purse, she swiped the money Graham had left for household expenses. Sarah and Graham caught her but disagreed on her punishment. Tori called Matt, who rushed over and sided with Sarah. The three worked out the situation, but Sarah had to remind Graham that Matt would always be a part of decisions concerning Tori. Graham was irritated to be overruled, and Tori’s animosity toward him grew.

The incident made Sarah doubt her decision to marry Graham. When she and Diane Bishop walked into a book signing by famed author and hypnotist Dr. Monica King, Diane forced Sarah to undergo hypnosis. She experienced a strange vision of an alternate life in which she and Matt had not lost their second baby and thus had not gotten divorced. While this at first seemed wonderful, she soon saw that their marriage disintegrated anyway. Their issues were larger than the baby’s death. In the vision, Sarah also met Graham. When she awoke, she realized that marrying Graham was the right thing for her to do, and she put her lingering feelings for Matt out of her head. Graham asked his son, Alex Marshall, to be his best man. It was an important step for the newly reunited father and son.

Diane’s sister, Natalie, turned up at her door. Diane dreaded what her gold-digging sister might want. Natalie claimed to have a business proposal and invited Diane to meet with her and her new fiancé… who turned out to be Julian St. John, the man who years earlier had worked with Nick Moriani to run a drug ring through Objection Designs. Julian, out on parole, had written a book about his experiences, and he and Natalie wanted Diane to publish it. She refused. Others, such as Sarah, Molly, and Ryan, were shocked by Julian’s return to King’s Bay.

On the day of the wedding, Matt dropped off Tori and shared a sweet moment with Sarah. On his way out, he ran into Diane. Eager to win back Sarah’s favor, Diane encouraged Matt to tell Sarah that he did not want her to marry Graham. Matt left but could not stop thinking about what Diane had said. Meanwhile, Sarah was hung up on her moment with Matt, but she remembered her vision of the future and convinced herself that marrying Graham was right. Diane got Tori’s hopes up by saying that she thought Matt would be back before the wedding took place. Matt did, in fact, return, but when he saw the ceremony taking place through the window, he felt he was being foolish and that Sarah did not share his feelings. He left without interrupting. Sarah and Graham were married, but Tori saw her father rushing away from the house.

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