Chapter 26...

Hunter awoke to a loud pounding in his head. His mouth was bone dry and it was unbelievably hot in his hotel room. He groaned, sitting up slowly, running a hand through his hair. His stomach felt like it was still full of alcohol. He heard a soft noise next to him and looked down, seeing long, slender leg draped over his. He looked at the pillow beside his and saw long ink black waves.

"Shit," he sat back against the headboard, rubbing his face. Jessica was sound asleep, her head turned away from him, toward the window.

Neither of them were clothed. What had transpired between them was obvious but Hunter could barely remember the events of the previous night. He remembered going to the bar. He remembered talking to William and Jessica. He remembered seeing Mark shooting looks between him and John and Cory. He vaguely recalled feeling a tinge of something like annoyance when John and Cory went to the bathroom together. The rest was fuzzy at best. He, Jessica, and William had hailed a cab. He saw brief flashes of them stumbling into the hotel. Then, he could see himself kissing Jessica, pulling her into his hotel room.

He'd made a huge mistake, that much was crystal clear. He was filled with regret as he looked down at Jessica, knowing that he had used her. He'd been frustrated over Cory and Jessica was there.

Jessica moaned, sitting up slowly, her blue eyes heavy lidded.

"Hey," she said, beginning to look like she felt as awkward as he did.

"Hey," he tried for a smile.

"So…" she laughed, tucking her hair behind her ears. "We should probably talk."

"You're right…we should," he nodded. "but…I have to run. Can we talk later?"

John awoke to the feeling of silk draping over his face. He smiled, wondering what Cory was up to until he felt something heavier drop onto his chest. He pulled the fabric off of his face and sat up to see Cory kneeling on the floor, pulling things out of one of her suitcases and tossing them around haphazardly.

"Baby," he laughed. "What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry," she laughed, seeing him surrounded by her clothes. "I'm trying to find something to wear today."

"Oh right, you're bait today," John nodded.

"Not bait," she made a face at him. "Just a distraction."

Sarah had explained that she was bringing Cory along to meet Michael's parents partially because of his weakness for pretty young women. Sarah called it 'disarming the subject. Distracting the person you're questioning so that they're guard is down and they give the most honest answers.

"Trust me, what you're wearing doesn't matter," he smiled. "You'll be a distraction. I just want to say again that I don't like this idea."

Cory smiled softly, sitting in bed beside him, "I know. I heard you the first time."

"Doesn't mean you're listening," he touched her chin.

"I am, I swear, I just…I had a dream last night that we found her," Cory said, her eyes bright. "This nightmare was finally over. I feel like we're so close, you know?"

John pulled her into his arms, leaning back against the headboard. He understood what she was saying. He felt the same thing. But he couldn't bear the thought of how hurt she would be if this didn't work, if they didn't find Dawn.

"I love you," he kissed the top of her head. "I just don't want you to get your hopes up too high."

She took a deep breath, cuddling closer to him, "I cant help it. I feel like we're on the right track."

"Thanks so much, it's so awesome to meet you."

Matt smiled at the beaming adolescent in front of him as he signed his autograph. The kid had recognized him when he got off of the elevator and bounded up to him, breathlessly telling him that the Hardy's were his favorite tag team ever. Matt was more than happy to sign a t-shirt and take a few pictures with him.

He was finishing up when he heard the kid let out a low whistle. Matt's eyes followed his. The hotel's automatic doors opened and Lianna walked in. She looked different. He remembered her saying that she was getting a haircut that morning. Her normally wavy hair was straight and darker than before. She had blunt cut bangs now that made he green eyes seem brighter. She pulled off her wool coat and underneath, he could see that she was wearing a navy blue long sleeved dress, black leggings, and black heeled boots. She seemed to notice the two of them staring and smiled, waving.

"And I thought she was hot on TV," the fan marveled.

"She's…something," Matt nodded.

Lianna walked toward them and the kid's posture improved. He smiled, smoothing his hair before introducing himself to her. She smiled and gave him a quick hug when he told her what a big fan he was. He asked her to sign the same shirt Matt had and she did and then he asked a passing stranger to take a picture of all of them. Once the pictures were done and they talked for a few more minutes, the fan excused himself.

"Well he was nice," Lianna smiled, watching him walk away.

Matt found himself staring at her again. He'd made a point not to pay much attention to her body but he couldn't help but notice how good she looked in this particular outfit.

"Can I help you, Hardy?" she asked.

"Nice haircut," he tugged at a strand of hair.

Matt heard a familiar voice and saw Shelton Benjamin walking away from the elevators. He was on the phone but as he approached them, he slowed down, eyes lewdly scanning Lianna from head to toe.

"Hey," he smiled at her, seeming completely unaware of Matt's presence.

"Um, hi," Lianna waved before he walked away. She looked over at Matt, "What the hell was that?"

"No idea," Matt shook his head. "Do you have toilet paper on your shoe or something?"

She glared at him.

"Don't worry about it," Matt patted her shoulder. "He probably just noticed your haircut."

She gave him an incredulous look.

"Or he thinks you're hot," he shrugged. "God knows why."

"Maybe because I am," she flicked his ear with a manicured fingernail. "He's never looked at me like that before though."

Matt shrugged, "You look nice today. You know, for you."

Jeff walked to the door, assuming Matt would be the source of the light knocking he heard when he was getting out of the shower. He'd hastily pulled on a pair of boxers, leaving his towel over one of his shoulders.

"What are you doing here so early?" he asked, swinging the door open. To his surprise, Amy stood in front of him, smiling with a paper bag in one hand and a cup holder in the other. The smell of coffee immediately filled his nostrils.

"Hey," he said, confused.

"Morning," she smiled. "I brought coffee and egg sandwiches. I figured you and Viveca might need some something to put in your stomachs this morning. I know I do."

Jeff rested his hand on the doorjamb, "V's not here. She had a radio interview this morning."

He could have sworn he remembered Viveca mentioning that the night before.

"She did?" Amy looked genuinely confused. "I thought she said that was tomorrow morning."

"No, it was today," Jeff shook his head.

"Damn," she looked disappointed. She gave him a sheepish smile, "I've got extra food and coffee…Want some?"

Jeff shrugged. He was hungry.

"Sure, come on in," he said, waving her inside. She breezed past him and he grabbed a shirt out of the gym bag by the bathroom door.

"This should be fun," she plopped down on the couch. "We really need to catch up."

Taylor looked down at the photo album in front of her. She'd found it in Cory's living room. There were pictures of Cory and Jessica as children. Birthday parties, Christmas celebrations, Halloween. There was a great picture of the two of them on Easter. They seemed to be at a country club. There were lots of people around but Cory and Jessica were like shining beacons. Tall and beautiful. Jessica was in a pale yellow silk blouse and a white skirt with pastel green and yellow polka dots. Her dark curls shone in the sunlight, French braided and draped over her shoulder. Cory wore a sundress with a large, floral pastel print. Her light brown curls were held away from her face with blue ribbon headband. They were both holding up beautifully decorated eggs and smiling from ear to ear. They bright blue eyes sparkled like jewels. She pulled a picture out of the drawer next to her bed. It was one of the few pictures she had of herself as a child, a school picture that her mother kept. She was smiling in her picture as well but the smile was tense, forced. Her blonde waves were pulled tightly away from her face, her ponytail a mess of waves. She was wearing a t-shirt that looked pink but it had been red when her mother bought it. If memory served, when that picture was taken, there was a hole in the armpit but she'd had to wear it because her father had locked her out of her own bedroom that day. She placed it next to the picture of her sisters. Her eyes were the same shade of blue but they didn't sparkle the way theirs did. They were sad and cloudy. She could see a storm behind her eyes. She could see her father staring at her, screaming at her. They all had his eyes, the same shade of blue but Taylor hers were the only ones that had seen her father's rage, felt his fists. She was the only one who knew what he was like. And that couldn't change. She looked at their picture again, knowing that she could never take the light out of their eyes the way he did to her. They could never know the stock they came from.

She felt her Blackberry buzzing beside her and picked it up quickly, seeing that she had an email. She checked it quickly, surprised to find a rather terse email from an editor for Women's Health magazine. According to the email, Cory was supposed to have an interview that morning for the magazine and she didn't show up. Taylor frowned, shaking her head. That was not like Cory in the least. She took her professional reputation very seriously. Taylor assumed she had been copied on the email because when Jacinda was first hired, Taylor told her that she could use her as a secondary contact, someone that could be reached in case she couldn't.

Taylor closed the email and dialed Cory's number.

Cory shook her head as she hung up her phone. She was waiting outside of Sarah's building. Sarah wasn't quite ready to go yet. Cory was about to go upstairs and wait but she stopped when Taylor called. When Taylor told her about the email she'd received, Cory was livid. She couldn't believe Jacinda would schedule an interview and just forget to tell her about it. Without thinking, she dialed the other woman's number and pressed the phone to her ear. The call went straight to Jacinda's voicemail message, announcing herself as Cory's assistant. When Cory heard the beep, she started talking before she knew what she was going to say.

"Jacinda, it's Cory…You're fired. Your access to my accounts and information will be terminated immediately, and if you even think of using me as a reference, I will bury your ass and make sure you never get another job in this field. I expect your copies of my credit cards to be returned either to me, my accountant, or Taylor by the end of the day tomorrow."

She hung up, knowing that if she continued, she would say some things that could hurt her friendship with Glenn. If she still had one after firing his wife. She'd asked Taylor to take care of cutting Jacinda out, stopping her access, and handling her scheduling for the time being. She knew it was a lot to put on the young woman but she also knew that Taylor could handle it.

Her phone rang and she picked up quickly, expecting her angry ex assistant.

Instead, she heard her sister's voice, "Hey there."

"Hey," Cory relaxed a little. "What's going on?"

"Kind of a lot," Jessica sighed. "You have a minute to talk."

"For you? Always," Cory leaned back against her seat. "What's on your mind?"

"Well…"

Jessica sounded hesitant and Cory sighed. Her sister wasn't always good at getting to the point, "Rip it off like a band aid Jessie."

"I had sex with Hunter last night," Jessica blurted.

"You what now?" Cory felt her eyes go wide. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting but it definitely wasn't that.

"Last night after we left the bar we dropped William off at his room. We were all hammered and when we got to his door, he kissed me. One thing led to another and…well, I'm sure I don't have to explain the birds and the bees to you."

"Wow," Cory didn't really know what to say. "What happened to you and William?"

"I left that bar intending to tell William I would go on a date with him," Jessica insisted. "And then Hunter kissed me and all rational thought was gone. I don't know what to do. We haven't even talked about it. He had to leave right away this morning."

"Jess, you know I love you and I support whatever you do but…I'm not sure you and Hunter is a good idea. Things are so complicated and back and forth with you guys. With William, things are clear. I thought you were going to try for something different."

"I thought so too," Jessica insisted. "Believe me, this caught me completely off guard. What the hell am I supposed to do?"

"Talk to Hunter," Cory answered. "You need to know how he feels."

Jessica laughed, "I don't even know how I feel."

Cory smirked, "Then you should probably figure that out too."

"I know, I know," Jessica said. "I think I'm gonna try to call him. I'll call you back."

"Okay, talk to you later."

Just as Cory was getting off the phone, Sarah came rushing toward the car, apologetic smile on her face.

"I'm so sorry," Sarah said as she opened the door. "You okay? You look stressed."

"It's been a weird couple of minutes.," Cory shrugged. "Ready to do this?"

Sarah smiled hopefully, "Ready as I'll ever be."

Viveca smiled when she saw Jeff's rental car. He was coming to pick her up but since her interview had run late, she texted him to tell him to come about an hour later. She couldn't wait to see him. It had been a rather annoying experience, nothing but questions about what size bra she wore and what color panties she was wearing. She wanted nothing more than to see her perfect, handsome, gentlemanly husband. When the car stopped in front of her, she was surprised to see Amy in the passenger seat. She smiled, getting out and holding the door open for Viveca. Viveca hesitated for a second but got into the car as Amy got in behind her. She looked over at Jeff who shrugged, "I didn't think you'd mind."

"I forgot you were coming here this morning," Amy explained. "I showed up at your room with breakfast and ended up bugging Jeff for a while. I figured I'd just come along for the ride."

Viveca nodded slowly, unsure of what to think. Amy seemed sincere and Jeff didn't look uncomfortable. He was pretty much incapable of lying to her so she decided to let it go. She was going to give Amy the benefit of the doubt.

6 P.M.

"Oh my God," Sheila Farisse gasped when she opened the door.

Sarah smiled as the older woman hugged her tightly.

"Sarah, we haven't seen you in so long," she squeezed her.

"Hi Mrs. Farisse," Sarah smiled, as Sheila let her go. "Oh, this is my friend Cory Samms. Cory, this is Sheila Farisse."

"Please, call me Sheila. Nice to meet you Ms. Samms," Sheila smiled. She turned, "Gary! Gary honey you'll never believe who's at the door!"

Sheila took Sarah's hands and led her into the house and Cory followed. Sarah looked up as Michael's father walked into the foyer. He stopped when he saw them.

"My God…Sarah Chadwick," Gary smiled, holding his arms open. Sarah walked over and he hugged her tightly. "What on Earth are you doing here?"

"I hadn't seen you in so long," Sarah said. "I felt horrible that I wasn't here after Michael..."

"We understand," Gary assured her. "You're here now..that's what matters…Who's your friend?"

"This is Cory," Sarah explained as Cory smiled and shook Gary's hand.

"It's very nice to meet you," Cory flashed a winning smile and Sarah could see quickly that she had Gary wrapped around her finger. That was exactly why she'd brought her.

"Well come on in you two," Sheila said. "We were just sitting down to coffee. We have a neighbor over."

They walked into the living room and a woman that Sarah vaguely recognized stood as they entered.

"Janet Wood," Sheila said. "This is Cory Samms and a very old friend, Sarah Chadwick."

"Nice to meet you," both young women smiled.

"Hello," Janet said cheerfully, shaking each of their hands.

"We're going to get the coffee," Sheila took Gary's hand. "Make yourselves comfortable, and when we get back we'll catch up."

Cory sat on the couch and Sarah looked around the room. She hadn't been in this house in years but it was almost exactly as she remembered it. She walked around, looking at all the books lining the walls. Something on the mantel caught her eye and she walked over. There were three pictures of Michael and one of Sheila and Gary together. Then, her eyes stopped on the picture on the center of the mantel. She recognized Michael sitting, holding the Farisse's dog, Sam. Next to him stood a beautiful blonde with a bright smile on her face. Sarah had seen her somewhere before. She racked her brain and then it hit her…She was the same blonde from the picture she found in Stephen's basement.

"And you believe that?" Lianna turned away from the mirror to look at her sister. She was finished putting in her earring and placed her hands on her hips. "Really?"

"Yes, Li, really," Viveca laughed, looking through the clothes in Lianna's suitcase. "Jeff said she showed up with three cups of coffee, three sandwiches. We were all drinking when I told her about the interview. She forgot. Why would she lie about it?"

"Because she wants to bone your husband," Lianna stared. "You cant possibly not see that. Where is my impossibly nosy distrusting sister?"

"Right here," Viveca laughed, handing Lianna a red dress.

Lianna shook her head, handing it back to her, "If I wear that, he's gonna think we're having sex."

"You're not?" Viveca asked. "Still?"

"Didn't we just talk about this?" Lianna laughed.

"I wasn't sure if you were serious," Viveca admitted, handing her a short, white dress. "There. It's virginal."

Lianna rolled her eyes but put the dress on anyway. It was one of her favorites and it looked great on her.

"Anyway, you need to stop being so suspicious," Viveca advised. "Focus on the good things in people, not the bad."

There was a knock at the door and Viveca walked over to open it. Dave was there with a bouquet of yellow roses.

He smiled at her and she smiled back. Maybe her sister was right. She needed to focus on good things for a little while.

"Sarah are you okay?" Cory whispered quietly, pretending to drink the coffee Sheila had given her. She hated coffee but she hadn't wanted to refuse when Mrs. Farisse offered her a cup.

"See that picture over there," Sarah nodded toward the mantel.

Cory looked in that direction, "I see lots of pictures."

"The one in the middle," Sarah whispered.

"Okay, I see it," Cory nodded, pretending to drink more coffee.

"I found a picture in the box of Michael's things with the same blonde woman in it," Sarah explained. "But I don't know who it is…whoever she is I'm assuming she's part of the family but I just cant figure out who she is."

"So ask," Cory suggested.

"It's gonna seem a little odd if I don't know," Sarah whispered.

"Okay fine, I'll ask," Cory put her cup down.

"Be subtle," Sarah advised.

"I will," Cory assured her.

Sheila and Gary walked back into the room with more coffee and Cory walked over to the mantel.

"Is this your daughter?" she asked, picking up the picture. "She's beautiful."

"Yes it is," Gary smiled. "That's Michelle."

"Michelle?" Cory repeated.

"Yup," Gary nodded. Sarah looked in the corner behind her and noticed three trophies on a stand. They were for excellence in gymnastics and they were all awarded to Michelle Savannah Farisse.

Later that night…

"We miss Michael so much," Sheila said. "It's like we've lost both of our children now."

"Both?" Cory looked up from her coffee.

"Michelle's been away," Gary sighed. "She hasn't spoken to us in years."

There was a long, awkward silence and then Gary stood, "Does anybody want more coffee?"

"I do," Ms. Wood smiled.

"I'll take some," Sarah said.

"None for me, thanks," Cory held up her hands, shaking her head.

Sheila and Gary left the room and Janet walked over to sit in a chair closer to the couch Cory and Sarah were sitting on.

"You know I despise a gossip," Janet said, finishing the last of her coffee.

"Me too," Sarah laughed and Cory slapped her in the arm.

"Do you know why Michelle left?" Janet asked eagerly.

"No. Michael never discussed it," Sarah shook her head. "What happened?"

For someone who 'despised a gossip', Janet sure didn't hesitate to spill, "Well, before Michelle was born, Gary and Sheila's marriage was…rocky."

"Rocky?" Cory raised an eyebrow.

"There were all kinds of rumors," Janet said. "But the biggest one, and the most true, was that Sheila was cheating on poor Gary with a baseball player..Sam something…Anyway, when Sheila got pregnant, no one believed the baby was Gary's. Eventually San got traded and Gary and Sheila patched things up. But as Michelle got older, she started wondering why she didn't look like either of her parents. She didn't look a thing like Michael…One day, she heard Sheila and Gary talking and pretty much figured out the whole story..Poor thing was devastated. After a while, Michelle finally got Gary to agree to do a paternity test since she wanted to know so badly…Turns out poor Gary wasn't her father. Michelle was crushed. Packed up and left a few days later."

"Sorry the coffee took so long," Sheila said as she and Gary walked back into the room. "Gary's mom called."

"No problem," Cory said. "We were just…making conversation."

Jessica ran a hand through her hair and walked to the door, taking a deep breath before she opened it. Hunter had called, asking if he could come by so they could talk.

She opened the door and he smiled at her, looking tired.

"How are you?"

"Good," he nodded. "You?"

"Okay," she shrugged, waving him inside. "Feeling a little..awkward."

"Same here," he admitted, following her to the couch.

Her phone rang and she picked it up, feeling guilt tug at her when she saw William's number. He'd called a few times that day and she hadn't been able to bring herself to answer. Not until after she talked to Hunter. She'd been trying to figure out how she felt all day. She thought she was getting over Hunter. She was certain that he was over her. William was great. Handsome, smart, funny. She liked him and he liked her back. Falling into bed with Hunter was the last thing she expected to happen but it had been amazing. She felt as if she'd been pulled to him like a magnet. They'd fit together perfectly. She wasn't sure if she could have that with William.

"I'm sorry I had to run this morning," he apologized. "I had a-"

"It's okay," she cut him off. "Don't worry about it."

"Listen, I just wanted to say about last night," he sighed. "I think we both know that what happened..shouldn't have happened. It was my fault and I'm sorry."

Jessica felt her breath catch in her throat. She felt herself nodding but didn't say anything. She felt like a little girl who'd given her crush a candy heart and he threw it back at her.

"Jessica?" he said, seeming nervous that she hadn't spoken.

"Yeah," she smiled. "You're right. We made a huge mistake. Honestly, I barely even remember it."

"Me too," he looked relieved. "I haven't had that much to drink in a long time."

"Same here," she laughed, unable to meet his eyes.

He reached over, placing her hand over his, "I hope I didn't mess things up too bad for you and William."

"We're still uh..figuring things out but..no worries. You didn't mess it up," she assured him, squeezing his hand.

"Good," Hunter smiled. "He's a good guy. I can tell you really like him."

Jessica nodded, amazed that he could see her feelings for William but he couldn't see what she was feeling at that moment. He couldn't see how much he'd just hurt her.

"You know, I've gotta get dressed. I'm meeting a friend for dinner," she lied.

"Oh, sorry," he stood up. "I'll get out of your way."

"I'll see you tomorrow," she smiled weakly, walking over to the door and holding it open for him.

"I'm really glad we're okay," he smiled, touching her shoulder.

She smiled back, "Me too."

Sarah waved one last time as she, Cory, and Ms. Wood walked out of the house. The couple had made her promise to come back soon.

"Oh!" Janet exclaimed before she got into her car. "I remember that baseball player's last name!"

"Woohoo," Cory mumbled unlocking the door to her car and sliding into the driver's seat.

"What is it?" Sarah asked.

"Holbrook," Janet said. "His name was Sam Holbrook."