JR drained the last of the bourbon from his glass under imaginary Marissa's critical gaze; the alcohol helped smooth over the disappointment. Marissa was back at the mansion but not as he planned. Rather than running away from Bianca, she came to avoid her mother. There were some bonuses as Marissa was encouraging AJ to spend more time with him, but try as he might Marissa continued to be immune to his seduction. Right now she was at the first day of her job at the Yacht Club, determined to earn a wage so she could find a place of her own.

Frustrated JR put down his glass and returned to sorting through the drawers in his study. Marissa was watching him with a look of displeasure on her face.

"Your plans keep going wrong don't they?" she said. "But do you really think drinking is the way to go?"

Jammed in the back of the drawer JR pulled out what he was looking for. A green cased CD with the letters B & M written on the cover.

"I'm not even sure why you had that TV Movie. Expect that you like it because it makes you look the hero."

"You distracted me!" snapped JR putting the CD on his desk and pouring himself another drink.

Marissa shook her head in disapproval.

"Well I think it was a good thing for you that you made a mistake! I'm sure Marissa would have had more than a few questions about how that film came into your possession. Also that tape was hot! She would have been back to Bianca quicker than a wink."

"That tape was sick and wrong!"

"No that moment between those two women was romantic, beautiful and sexy! If it wasn't it wouldn't have infuriated and frustrated you so much and you wouldn't have watched it soooooo many times, or felt the need to keep that last copy for your own personal use. They did nothing wrong; it was you who was and is so very sick and wrong!"

"Will you stop! You keep riding me and riding me. Why can't you give me a moment's peace?"

JR noticed his glass was empty once more and reached for the bottle only to find it was empty as well.

"Peace is the last thing you are getting JR." said Marissa, her hands on her hips. "You try to murder a woman you claimed to love. You are thinking of only one person – yourself and all this time you have been trying to bend people to your will to try and force a dream that will never be. Marissa doesn't love you anymore. AJ is still scared of you. You are so focused on an unachievable goal you don't realise you risk destroying everything around you."

"You don't know what the hell you are talking about. Marissa will be mine. She will come back to me and love me. Bianca can rot for all I care. We will be a family again. AJ will get over the last year, he's young. He is a Chandler, his life was set the day he was born. And being shacked up with a lesbian and her spawn is not going to be part of it! He is my son and Marissa is my wife and no one and nothing is going to change that! So just leave me the hell alone!"

JR threw the empty bottle at Marissa in anger. It went right through her and smashed against the bookcase.

"Daddy?"

JR spun round to see his son standing in the study doorway starring wide eyed at his father.

"AJ!"

"Who are you talking to?" asked the little boy, fear in his eyes.

"No one; it's no one." said JR moving forward to put a comforting hand on the boys shoulder. AJ flinched away.

"Now you've blown it." said Marissa. "You've terrified him. This is what alcohol does to you JR. Why can't you see that?"

"Will you just SHUT UP!" JR yelled turning angrily towards her. "I'm trying to talk to my son!"

AJ starred horror-struck for a moment and then fled from his father's study.

"AJ!" JR shouted after him.

"Well aren't you going to run after him?" Marissa asked.

JR just glared at her; sinking despondently to the floor.

Bianca was still ruining his life.

…