The trial was to be reconvened for the following morning. Despite Dr Stanhope's recommendations, Carol Robinson was insisting that a second independent doctor examine JR before any decision could be made about his fitness to stand trial. She was still pressing at the urgency for the trial before public opinion was affected by the Erica film due for release in a few months time. At the same time Marissa was also undergoing her medical exam to find proof of her returned memories. Frankie accompanied her with the medical records sent across from PVH.

…

The rest of the Pine Valley contingent were sat in Erica's hotel suite starring at the red cover of the Inquirer sat on the coffee table between them; no one yet brave enough to take a look inside.

Bianca looked ill, Erica looked furious.

"So what exactly did your friend from the Times say?" Tad asked, flipping the paper round to face him, but not feeling comfortable about opening the cover.

"He said something about Jim Wheen leaving another leaving present." said Krystal.

"Oh this is ridiculous!" cried Bianca in desperation, unable to take the tension another second. She plucked up the paper and opened it up!

She straightened with surprise and then tilted her head to the right as she looked at the pictures before her.

"Is that seriously meant to be me?" she asked, her cheeks turning pink.

She dropped the paper on the table for everyone to see - A page of graphic images of two women in bed together; one red head and one brunette. Erica looked quickly away to avoid seeing too much.

"You're saying that isn't you?" Jesse asked.

Bianca looked self-conscious.

"I think I'd remember if Marissa had a tattoo there!" she said with an awkward cough.

Tad squinted closer at one of the pictures where a face was partially visible.

"Isn't that Princess Jade?"

"Princess Jade?" asked Krystal incredulously, with a snort. "I take it that's a porn name."

Now it was Tads turn to look self-conscious.

Erica, who was still inverting her eyes from the paper, intervened.

"Well even if the pictures aren't really Bianca and Marissa, the paper is still saying it is and the rest of the world will think so too! Jim Wheen hasn't exactly done us a favour by simply switching out the pictures!"

"Simon seemed to think there was more to it!" said Krystal.

"Well you can at least sue them for defamation." said Tad. "I guess it just depends how the rest of the world sees the pictures."

Bianca looked down, her stomach still doing flip-flops, relieved that they hadn't really published pictures of her and Marissa but still feeling sick that such a story could still be published about them in the first place. Noticing her distress Erica put her arm around her daughter's shoulder and at the same time Krystal reached across and squeezed her knee.

"There is one way to find out." said Jesse, walking over to the television. "May I?"

Bianca nodded her head. She needed to bite the bullet and find out how far this lie had spread. She was in for a pleasant surprise…

…

True to his word Simon and Jim Wheen had carefully calculated the fallout from the Inquirer's publication of the sex tape story and had already engineered the comeback. Rather than waiting for the publication of the next day's newspaper, Simon, with permission from his editor, had sold the story to every television news corporation in the country. This story was about Rupert Henderson's personal vendetta against Marissa and Bianca.

The news corporation lapped it up, sex, evil corporations and small children, what wasn't to love!

Every channel ran it, happy to follow up their put down of the Inquirer after the 'AJ being a girl' story the paper had tried to run a few days ago. Now the Inquirer was trying to pass off clips from the porn film Harem Nights 4 as footage of Marissa and Bianca, there was public outcry once the story broke. CNN conducted an interview with Jim Wheen about the stories he had been forced to publish and how his refusal to follow orders had gotten him fired. Fox followed this up with an interview with one of the actresses from the film the stills had been borrowed from. She announced her intent to sue and voiced her support for Bianca and Marissa and their family.

By the end of the day the story was nationwide and growing, the President was even asked questions about it whilst attending a school visit to promote a new education reform. In some States copies of the papers were being publicly burned. The debate on the tonight show degraded into a shouting match when one conservative politician was insisting that even if they pictures weren't of Marissa and Bianca, it was still what they were doing and that children shouldn't be exposed to that! The counter argument, that children shouldn't be exposed to sex in any form and that the politician was clearly being homophobic resulted in a screaming row that was turned into a comedy You Tube video that same night!

The story was huge and the newspaper was in ruins. Rumours that Rupert Henderson was going to return to the States to personally apologise to Bianca and Marissa for his papers conduct were the last thing to be reported that night…

…