"Sit down." He was more determined than ever now to get this right – as right as it could be now. "I don't want to hurt you, but …"

"But what?" The open ended statement made her insides quiver and she looked up at him as she desperately tried to read his expressions. "Nothing has happened here that can't be undone. If you'll just let me go out there and …" She stopped, the look in his eyes abruptly changing.

"I already said no," he snapped. "You're gonna listen to me now, okay? I'm calling the shots here. This is my house, my life! I get to say what happens and when it happens!" He was through with watching things happen to him. For the past few months he'd felt like a bystander in his own life. He'd sat back and waited for Gwen to change her mind. He'd sat back and hoped that she would begin to soften towards him, that her heart would mend, but it hadn't and now … if anything was ever going to change, it was up to him. He might not be able to fix the mess he'd made of his life, but he certainly didn't have to be trapped in it anymore.

"I don't understand." Phyllis struggled to shift forward on the couch. "I don't understand why you're doing this. Why do you need me here?"

"I don't," he admitted. "You weren't supposed to be here. This was supposed to be different … so different. Everything was supposed to be different."

Nothing was going to change by arguing with him. That much was clear, so maybe she could reach him. Maybe if she just tried to talk … "You said this was your house," she said quietly. "What did you mean?"

"My wife and I, we sat down with plans and we created this place. This was our house, our dream. We lived here. We brought our son home here. We were supposed to grow old here." Even as he said the words, he grew angrier. "And then, just as soon as things got hard, a Newman, like the vultures they are, came in and just ripped it away."

"You lost your house?" Phyllis said the words tentatively as she watched him slowly sit down beside her. It was then that her breath caught as she saw it, the unmistakable flash of dark metal that, until now, had been hidden by his jacket.

He didn't miss her reaction. "It's just …" His hand reached inside the jacket, gingerly touching the cool barrel of the gun. "I didn't come here to hurt anyone. I just want it to be the way it's supposed to be. This was supposed to be our house. This is supposed to be where I lived my last days and that's what I want it to be."

"It doesn't have to be now though. We can work something out. I'm sure I can talk to Nick and if he understood what happened …"

A puff of air escaped his lips as he stared at her incredulously. This truly was how the other half lived. "Your white knight can't write a check and fix this," he snarled. "It's way too late for that now. Even if he handed this house back to me on a silver platter, what good would it be? It's empty now. I have no one to share it, no one to fill it with joy, with laughter, with love. My wife is gone. My son is gone. They think I'm a failure, a liar. And you know what, maybe I am. Maybe they're right, but I won't fail at this this. I'll make sure that all the people that took so much joy in watching my downfall understand what it feels like. I'm gonna make sure that the Newmans of this world know what it feels like to lose something they care about. They'll feel helpless. They'll watch as something they care about is ripped away from them. All their money and all their power won't be able to help them now because now … in this moment … I'm in charge." It felt good, for once, to have the power.

She couldn't help the feeling of absolute terror that washed over her as she heard the almost vindication in his voice. "What are you going to do?"

He managed a smile, perhaps the only genuine one he'd had in months, "I'm going to enjoy my last stand."

"Sir!"

Nick turned quickly, his attention moving towards the window to which the officer pointed. His body lurched, almost of it's own accord towards the garage door again before he found himself being pulled back. "You can't just expect me to …"

"Wait." The sergeant's voice was serious as he stared at the window where Phyllis now stood in full view.

"Who's out there?" Cameron asked.

She faltered. Her eyes were fixed on his, the fear and terror she felt inside mirrored in the look on his face. "I …" she managed.

"Answer me!" He yelled as he rushed up behind her and grabbed her shoulder roughly. He pulled her away from the window, and turned her body towards him. "I asked you a question and I expect you to answer me." This wasn't him, this gruff, brutal person, but he had to do it. He had to step outside of himself right now. This was the only way he could do this, the only way he could make certain that his final attempt at vindication was successful.

"Nick," she said in a mere whisper, "And some officers … the police." Her eyes blinked back tears as the situation become more real with each passing moment. "I don't know exactly how many." She tried to breathe in deeply, but her chest ached with anxiety. "What are you going to do to me?"

He forced himself not to react to her sincerity. "That depends," he said gruffly.

"On what?"

"On how much you can help me. On how much that man out there cares about getting you out alive …"

"Nick will do what you want. You don't need me here. If you just let me go and talk to them, I can …"

"I've already …"

It happened so fast that she almost didn't have time to feel real terror and it wasn't until the cool metal was pressed against her back that she truly understood the abrupt shift in the situation.

Nick watched in abject horror, the entire event happening in seconds in reality but playing out in excruciating slow motion in front of him. Phyllis now stood in front of the window, the gun pointed directly at her. The face of the man behind her was barely visible, her body shielding him completely.

He turned towards the sergeant, knowing all too well, he'd be stopped the instant he attempted any movement. "You've got to do something," he hissed.

Sergeant Brunson nodded. "Call them in," he said briskly to the other officer before turning and heading off towards the cars.