SCENE ONE
The entire room quieted as Deacon made his grand entrance into the Forrester living room. The only sounds were from Oliver's music, which was still blasting from the speakers. Obviously distracted, Oliver, Liam, and Carter all stood on the balcony, engulfed in uncontrollable laughter, completely oblivious to the tension that had filled the room within seconds. Finally, Liam looked up, and noticing the glares of horror on the faces of the guests, he motioned for his two friends to look up. Oliver quickly turned off the music, and the three of them stepped inside.
"Deacon Sharpe...what the hell are you-"
"Home sweet home." Deacon called out, before finally locking eyes with Hope. "How's my munchkin doing?"
"Munchkin?" Hope questioned. "Yeah, you're about twenty years too late."
"And THAT I intend to make right." He answered quickly, before looking down at her belly. "WHOA...is that what I think it is?"
"Deacon, GET OUT." Ridge answered coldly.
"Ridge Forrester...-" As Deacon turned to face Ridge, Steffy quickly rushed over to stand between the two men.
"Guys..."
"No, let him say what he has to say." Ridge answered, glaring down from Steffy up to Deacon.
Deacon's smirk increased. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"I'm sure he's just curious...as we all are." Hope answered as she stepped forward. "You've been gone for well over a decade, and now suddenly you show up here...TODAY of all days. Why?"
An awkward paused followed Hope's words, as Deacon took in the glares of anger and unacceptance from those around him, and as he started to respond, Steffy once again cut over him.
"I don't think you all understand." She spoke proudly. "He's with ME." Immediately she could feel the room grow cold as people began to whisper. She even heard a few giggles in the distance, but it was her grandfather's voice that took precedence as he stumbled to stand to his feet.
"Alright now somebody tell me what the HELL is going on!" he demanded.
"WITH you?" Ridge repeated in disbelief, once again looking down at the ring on his daughter's finger. "Honey, I don't underst-"
"Deacon is here as my plus 1." Steffy explained. "I figured you all had the right to meet my new fiance."
Her eyes met Hope's, who looked mildly ill. Hope staggered back a bit, as her mouth went dry, and then with narrowed eyes, she chuckled. "Is this some sort of joke?"
"As intelligent as I am, even I couldn't come up with something so-...EPIC." Deacon replied as he smiled at Steffy, who almost childlike, looked down at the floor blushing.
"Steffy...I'm curious. What the hell has gotten into you?"
"I'm pretty sure there's an obvious answer to that question." Felicia quipped quietly from across the room, before chuckling a little.
"Look, can everyone just kinda calm down?" Steffy spoke aloud. "I mean...today's supposed to be about Granddad finally coming home after such a long time. I don't want to ruin that by making this about Deacon and me."
"Well isn't that like your M.O Steffy?" Hope interjected as she stepped forward. "You've been gone and quiet for so long and you decided that the attention was gone from you for too long, so you had to make a big splash, right? THIS is what you wanted, right?"
"Listen...let's take this conversation elsewhere, shall we?" Eric spoke as he stepped up to Steffy and Hope, placing his arms around them. "Look, I'm gonna clear everyone out of here, and in the meantime, why don't you all go out to the guest house and sort this-..this-...WHATEVER this is out."
Hope looked back and forth between her father and Steffy, and then shrugging her shoulders, she plastered a smile onto her face. "Actually, I have absolutely nothing to say to either one of them." She looked around for Liam, and then motioning for him to follow her, she headed for the door.
As Ridge called out for her, Steffy glanced at Deacon. "Maybe this wasn't the best time." she whispered.
"Ahh...ya think?" Brooke called out from behind them. "Steffy...I'm SHOCKED."
SCENE TWO
"Hope!"
Outside in front of the Forrester mansion, Ridge caught up with Hope, grabbing her arm and swinging her around to face him. "Look, I know you're upset, but I don't want you to leave like this, and I don't want you getting too worked up. It can't be good for the baby."
Confused, she threw up her arms. "I'm fine, Ridge. I just-...I need to get away from here."
Liam quickly approached, standing next to his wife and embracing her. "Are you alright babe?"
She felt comfort in her husband's arms, and took a long deep sigh of relief. "I'm fine. Can we just go home?"
"Sure. Sure...that's probably for the best." Liam responded. He looked over to Ridge and nodded his head politely, before helping Hope across the yard to their car.
As he stood watching their car disappear down the road toward the gate, he heard his sister Felicia's voice from the doorway.
"She certainly has her grandmother's flare."
Ridge smiled without even turning around to look at her. "I don't even think mother would have pulled a stunt like this, at a time like this." he replied.
Felicia chuckled. "Yeah right. The Stephanie Forrester I knew would've jumped at the opportunity to cause such a scene, and honestly Ridge...with how things ended between Steffy and Liam, I don't know how you didn't expect a few waves when she finally returned to town."
"Deacon Sharpe is not only an intolerable, disgusting, waste of human flesh, but he's also not age appropriate. And most of all, he's Hope's biological father."
"Yeah, I think we're all aware of that." Felicia quipped as she stepped out onto the walkway to stand next to her brother. "But here's the thing. Steffy left LA a very wounded woman. She'd lost the man she loved to Hope, and who had him first, who loved him most, who deserved him...that's all irrelevant. She loved Liam and to be basically dumped on your wedding day only to have the man you love turn around and marry your rival at the same ceremony? Honestly Ridge, what did you think she'd do? Though..." Felicia chuckled. "Marrying your rival's father as revenge IS definitely uncharted territory as far as I know."
"Marrying? Felicia, they're NOT getting married. I'm going to put a stop to this RIGHT NOW."
"Well, ya see...that's why I'm here. You know, as your kid sister who seeks to annoy you, but also gives amazing advance at the most inopportune times. Ridge...that girl in there is NOT the same girl that left here last year with her tail between her legs. This is a beast of another kind."
"I don't get it..."
"Well-..." she hesitated. "Storming in there and telling the two of them that they can't be together is only going to push them closer." Felicia answered. "I mean, it's simple. Just think about all the women mom hated for you...I can think of ONE blonde bombshell off the top of my head. One who happens to be your wife to this very day."
"Brooke was different."
Felicia laughed. "Yeah, I'm sure Steffy will say the same thing about Deacon. Look, you don't have to take my advice Ridge, but this is reality. Once the fanfare wears down with this whole thing, just watch...their relationship will self-implode."
Ridge looked over to his sister, and though her words went totally against what he'd purposed in his heart to do, he knew that what she was saying was right. Steffy's rebellious streak hadn't just begun when she left Los Angeles. Steffy had been a rebellious girl from birth, the total opposite of her twin sister Phoebe. This was nothing more than her lashing out at Hope and Liam for the betrayal she'd been feeling, and he knew that the rest of the family was just simple collateral damage in the war for Liam Spencer...a guy who Ridge still struggled to find worth in.
"So what say ye? Do I march in there and offer to pay for this sham of a wedding?"
"I wouldn't go that far." Felicia replied quickly. "But I'll say this...before you go in there breathing fire, take a moment and thing strategy. The best way to disarm Deacon Sharpe is to remove his power. Let him know that this doesn't bother you as much as he thought it would."
"That creep is probably having his way with my daughter."
"Yeah, well...she's a grown woman."
"Felicia, I swear...if he does ANYTHING to Steffy to hurt her,-"
Felicia shrugged. "She'll kill him." She replied. "You raised a very strong, self-sufficient woman. And true enough she may be headed down a dark path right now, bringing the likes of that man to our family home, you also have to see that this is a lot more about her search for healing, and a lot less about hurting you or anyone else. Ridge...she NEEDS this. Just let her have her moment. And YOU, remain calm. Can you do that?"
SCENE ONE
"Not sure why you're shocked." Steffy replied quickly to Brooke as she turned to face her.
"Look, I know we've had our differences in the past, and so have you and Hope, but to bring Deacon into the picture is-...honestly is repulsive."
Dramatically Deacon clutched his chest. "I'm offended."
Brooke's eyes went off as Eric cleared everyone else out of the living room, and then she refocused her attention back to Steffy. "What do you seek to gain from this? Certainly you didn't think you'd gain Liam's attention again by pulling this stunt."
Steffy laughed. "You know, honestly Brooke...I'd expect something like that to come out of your mouth."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Well...growing up, watching you and my mom battle for Dad's affection for soooo many years, I can understand why now you'd think that my sole purpose on this earth is to get Liam Spencer's attention. But NEWSFLASH...I don't want it. I'm very happy for he and Hope and their baby, and-"
"Oh cut the crap, would you Steffy?" Brooke interrupted aloud. "You wanted to hurt my daughter, so you went and jumped into bed with her father...quite LITERALLY, I'm sure."
"Wow. Tell me how you REALLY feel."
"You've always moved to the beat of your own drum Steffy, and I used to think that was an admirable quality, but this...THIS travesty that I'm looking at right now, I assure you, will bring you nothing but heartache in the end. If you think for one second that Liam choosing Hope over you was traumatic, you haven't seen anything yet."
Deacon cleared his throat. "You know, this is all very dramatic and everything, but babe...I'm not really cut out of the Forrester lynch-mob anymore. I think I kinda outgrew those days, so I'm gonna just head back to the hotel-..."
"Yeah, I'll go with you." Steffy agreed as they attempted to walk past Brooke.
"No...You're NOT going to leave!" Brooke called out angrily. "You're going to stand there and listen to what I have to say."
Steffy laughed. "And what exactly is that, Brooke? That Hope beat me and won Liam Spencer, the grand prize, and now after an entire YEAR, I'm so hell bent on revenge that I've stormed into town with Deacon Sharpe on my arm...to what? Make Hope jealous somehow?"
"You brought him back into town to try and destroy our family." Brooke started toward Steffy, pointing her finger accusingly as she glared into Steffy's dark eyes. "It's no secret that since you've been gone, things have been pretty quiet around here. All of the headaches, the drama, the bickering, it all left with YOU. You got to wherever the hell you went, and you realized that without you here, things were going pretty smoothly, and you couldn't take it, could you?"
Suddenly, the sound of Ridge's voice from the doorway stopped her. "Brooke, that's enough."
Brooke hesitated for a moment as she stared into Steffy's eyes, and then she turned to face Ridge.
"I think emotions are running really high right now, and it'd be best for all of us if we just got some rest, took some time to think things through, and maybe reconvened later." Ridge answered.
"Excuse me?" Brooke questioned.
"Listen, these are two consenting adults, and...I don't like this any more than you do, but-...really Brooke. Is this guy really worth it?"
"Again with the abusive language here." Deacon snarked. "Look, if it's any consolation, I didn't come here to cause any problems. Hell, you can ask your daughter...I didn't want to come. But-...I care about her, and I want to make HER happy. Me being by her side today is what she wanted, and so here I am."
"We knew this would be difficult for everyone." Steffy continued. "But-...if everyone would just look beyond the obvious here, you'd see that Deacon and I are-...we're really GOOD for each other. He's not using me to worm his way back into the Forrester family, and I'm not using him to stick it to Hope. We're using each other..." Steffy said as she glanced up at Deacon. "Using each other to make each other happy. And so far...it's been working."
She chuckled as Deacon pecked her on the lips.
"I'll be outside in the car." he murmured, before slowly walking past Ridge. He reached up and patted him on the shoulder. He could see the anger bubbling up in Ridge, and quickly he turned away and headed out of the door without another word.
"Steffy...just answer me this, will you?" Ridge questioned.
She threw up her hands dramatically. "Sure...what is it?"
"WHY?"
Steffy looked down at the marble floor and for a moment, a myriad of memories flooded her mind. She recalled all of the memories she'd shared with Liam, and almost like clockwork, she remembered the day he stood before her, God, and nearly 200 wedding guests and declared to her that he didn't love her, but love Hope Logan. Immediately, her eyes filled with tears as she looked up at her father. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words didn't come right away. Instead, she wiped her eyes and then she shrugged her shoulders. "I don't think you understand how GUTTED I felt when I left LA. I'd never in my life put a man before myself, my work, my priorities, my goals and ambitions...I went from being this fiery businesswoman with an epic five year plan to take Forrester Creations to unprecedented heights, to my entire life being wrapped up into becoming Mrs. Liam Spencer. I lost myself in him. I didn't know I was anymore, and standing there at that altar, having him RIP my soul out and stomp on it nearly killed me."
Ridge could feel his eyes welling up with tears, hearing of his daughter's anguish. He looked away quickly to avoid showing emotion.
"You were...you were as present as you could be, given the circumstances. I mean, you couldn't help but be happy for Hope on what turned out to be her wedding day, and-...well, then there's the pesky details that somehow I 'stole' him from her anyway. So to everyone around here, I kinda got what I deserved, right?"
"Sweetheart, I never said-"
"You didn't have to say it." Steffy interrupted. "So suddenly, I didn't care as much for Forrester Creations, and things around here weren't the same with Grandpa in a coma. There was literally nothing tying me to this place anymore, and I decided that it was time for me to leave and find myself again. And you know what's so remarkable? I didn't find myself in Deacon Sharpe. I found myself by doing things that I enjoyed. I got involved in different business ventures, helping out people with their struggling fashion lines, being a consultant, and it was pretty gratifying work. And just when I felt that I was at the pinnacle of happiness, there he was. It was as if he were waiting for me."
Her sweetened words immediately bittered in Ridge's mouth as he listened to her passionate recollection of all things Deacon Sharpe.
"We met at a bar."
Ridge chuckled. "No surprise there."
"He OWNED the bar." Steffy corrected. "He saw me, and at first I was reluctant...for obvious reasons. But it was as if we just instantly connected. He served me a drink, and I sat at the bar and just talked to him. Not once did we mention you, or Brooke, or Hope...or Forrester Creations. It was as if he had no idea who Liam was, or the entire embarrassing ordeal that the blogs had spun into gold for themselves within the prior three or four months. And do you know what? It felt damn good to talk to someone who was interested in ME. Not in what the blogs were saying, and not in ridding themselves of guilt by asking how I was doing on occasion...just interested in whether I paint my own toenails, or get them done professionally. Whether I'm full vegan or just vegetarian...or if horror movies freak me out. He wanted to know ME, and yeah..that felt good."
"No good is going to come of this, Steffy." Brooke warned as she shook her head. Her anger had turned almost to concern and her tone had softened.
"Well..." Steffy paused as she looked around the now-empty living room. "If nothing good comes from it, let that be a loss that I deserved once again." she spoke. She looked back forth between her father and his wife, and then reaching up, she pecked her dad on the cheek and waved to Brooke before exiting the living room, leaving them standing there alone.