Jack's habit of running into random rooms was getting him into more and more trouble as the game progressed. He had no idea where she had been hiding, but Irene was lying in wait, and pounced at him when he entered his latest room, taking advantage of his unsuspecting pause to lock the door. She grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him against the wall roughly.

He grunted in protest, struggling hard before she reassured him in a tone much softer than her actions would indicate: "Relax, Jack."

"Hey, Mrs. Bell," he offered nervously. "I, uh, I never got a chance to apologize about Clu, did I?"

She cocked her head. "Why would you apologize?" He fumbled for an answer. She observed his unease and smiled sweetly. "I should be thanking you."

This did not put him any more at ease. Now he noticed that her hair was a little wild, her eyes were a little predatory, and the change in her was almost attractive? He shook his head slowly in an attempt to unwrap the offending thought from his mind. She widened her smile, which became a baring of fangs, at this seeming plea for mercy. Maybe she would be merciful. Maybe she wouldn't play with him first, as she had planned. Instead she withdrew an army knife from her pocket and held the tip of the blade firmly under his chin. Jack gripped her wrist, and tried unsuccessfully to pry away the knife with his other hand.

The silence had been broken only by their nonverbal expressions of frustration until the moment when her phone rang. Beethoven echoed through the room, its tinny notes deafening now. It rang once, twice, three times. Irene paused and considered whether to answer. Jack took advantage of the distraction, pulling the knife out of her hand and lunging forward, retrieving the phone from her pocket. He glanced at the caller ID window before holding the phone high above his head. Her eyes narrowed as a new strategy formed itself quickly.

He grinned at her. Irene's own grin didn't falter as she asked: "Okay, what do you want?"

She backed off, allowing him to think he had escaped his inevitable fate for the moment.

"What do I want?" he repeated.

"What do you want? Are you looking for an ally, a partnership?"

"I'm looking for victory," he said arrogantly. "I don't need a partner."

She laughed. "That's what you think. Maybe you can get past me, maybe not. I'm sure Molly and Carey will take care of each other. Then you'll have to get by Ned. You think you could stand up to him?"

He considered this. "So what are you proposing?"

"Oh, I'm not proposing anything," she said, coming closer. "It's too late for partners. I don't need any help. You think you've got some kind of upper hand because you took the knife? I don't need that either. That was the easy way. I'm just as happy to do it the hard way." She continued to walk toward him, and he backed into a corner. She placed her hands on his chest and he became aware of her heat, her scent, her essence surrounding him suddenly. Jack swallowed hard and tried to maintain his perspective: best friend's mother, mother's best friend, many years older. Clu. Gabe. Ned. Bad idea. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head again, more violently this time.

"Is there something wrong with you?" she asked, observing this apparent seizure.

"Look," he said, allowing a little desperation to creep into his voice. "I can help you."

She cocked her head again. "You can help me? How could you possibly help me? I've almost won."

Jack nearly laughed. "I know something you don't."

"Oh, yeah? What's that?"

"Annie is alive and well." He couldn't decide whether her expression betrayed shock or irritation. Maybe both. "And I know where she is."

She bowed her head and closed her eyes, trying to think of the best approach to take to get what she wanted. "Tell me," she finally whispered, gazing at him, pressing herself closer.

This time, he did laugh. "I'm not going to tell you."

She gave him a little push and backed off again, crossing her arms across her chest. "So I'll say it again. What do you want?"

"Hey, I want her out of the game as much as you do. But I'm not going to tell you where she is." He tossed her the phone and seized her hand, holding on to it tightly as he unlocked the door with his own free hand. "I'll show you."