Back at the Phoenix launch Steffy is on her way to the front entrance, having left her mother, then after another brief stop to thank the tech crew who had made this possible for her, she is now heading home. As the elevator doors open, she sees a large crowd of people gathered outside the hotels main entrance, she thought this might happen, but she was now finding that thinking it, and then having to deal with it, were two entirely different things. She feels the beginnings of panic setting in, her breath is starting to shorten in response to what she knows will be a nightmare of questions as she walks the gauntlet to get to the limo she's hired.

She jumps as an arm touches her elbow gently. "I thought you might like some company," says Marius as she turns to see him joining her.

She inadvertently breaths a sigh of relief but still answers, "I'm fine, I can do this on my own."

Marius shrugs, "Of course you can, but why deny me the pleasure of escorting my beautiful employer home? Especially when it will make your mother and brother happy?"

At her quick look he smiles ruefully, "They love you, they were worried, so I told them it might look better if I escorted you, that way you still look as though you have your independence," he looked around conspiratorially before adding, "and I get to escape the buyers and press after party, it's a win, win, Mia Bella."

Steffy smiles up at him as they start to walk to the front entrance. "Thank you, Marius." She turns back to the entrance they're fast approaching, "Oh god, they're all staring at us."

Marius shrugs, "I apologise, it happens all the time," at Steffi's confused look he smiles, "I'm a handsome man, they obviously can't keep their eyes off of me."

Steffi's mouth pops open at his words until she sees the mirth in his eyes and realises he's joking. She starts to laugh just as they walk out the opening door to the waiting press. A barrage of questions starts immediately, but Marius waves them away imperiously as he escorts his charge to the waiting limo and after depositing her in the back seat, he then slides in beside her.

As the limo slides away from the group of reporters who are now running along beside the car still shouting questions, he turns to her. "Not so bad then?"

Steffy smiles in relief as she relaxes back into the soft buttery leather of the seat.

"No, not so bad . . . Once again, thank you Marius, I honestly thought I could do it by myself, but when I saw them I just froze! If you hadn't followed me, I honestly don't know if I could have continued." She grins briefly, "let alone present a laughing face to that pack of vultures, I'm just lucky you are so handsome that you distracted their attention from me."

Marius grins clutching his chest dramatically,"Ahhh, so you think I'm handsome, that's good to know, but I suppose being half naked in someone's arms does tend to bring people closer."

Steffy blushes, "I didn't mean it like that," she stammers, suddenly finding the spacious limousine a little stifling.

She raises her head to see him smiling at her. "Oh god, you're teasing me again, aren't you? And I've fallen for it yet again! This is so embarrassing."

"Never embarrassing Steffy, simply a little play between a man and a beautiful woman who needs a little cheering."

He knocks on the window to the driver and asks him to pull over. As he opens the door to depart Steffy places her hand on his arm, surprised that she really doesn't want him to leave. "Please, I can drop you to your home, it's the least I can do for all your help."

Marius leans over and surprises her by placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

"I will be fine, but you, Mia Bella, you need some time to yourself, to process everything that has happened to you today, but, if you need me, don't hesitate to call, any time, day or night, I will come to you?"

Steffy shivers a little at his husky words.

"Okay," she says quietly, and just like that the moment is gone. He closes the door and the Limo speeds away, taking her far to vulnerable heart with it.

Meanwhile, back at Bills . . . . .

Liam sits on the long couch in front of the fireplace next to Wyatt as Bill pours them all another drink.

Wyatt lifts the snifter to his nose and takes a generous sip, "Damn this is good," he says in appreciation as the liquid slides down his throat into his stomach where it spreads a pleasant warmth.

"It should be, it's my Lark single malt," Bill grouses as he looks down at his precious whiskey.

Liam looks up in surprise, "Wow, at least we now know what it takes for you to break out the good stuff, we just have to have both our lives fall apart."

Wyatt glances at Liam then back to his whiskey, "I know you're angry Liam, and I don't blame you, but this isn't on dad and you know it!"

Liam jumps to his feet and downs the whiskey before heading back over to the bottle and pouring himself another.

"Why though?" he says turning back to his brother. "I gave up everything for her, and it still wasn't enough. First all that business with Thomas, and now this, when does it end? What am I supposed to do? And Steffy, my god, what she must have gone through after Finn telling her they slept together . . . "

"So, you've stopped blaming her for what she did then?" asks Bill with a raised brow.

Liam nods, "Of course, you were right, it's not Steffi's fault. She's always been tempestuous, fiery, I think this just pushed her over the edge and she wanted revenge, so she took everything that ever mattered away from Hope publicly, her line, her public persona, and her self- respect, she exposed what she did to the world."

He snorts in bitter self-recrimination, "and whilst she was at it, she made sure I finally got my fill of Karma too." After a thoughtful pause he nodded to himself, "I guess I've had that coming for a while too, after I saw that video, what Hope and I did to her, the pain on her face when she caught us, I honestly can't say I blame her one bit."

"Good," says Bill in his usual blunt way, "At least you've got that part clear in your head. Now you just have to figure out what you're going to do about your cheating wife, and whether you even want to do anything."

Liam nods taking a thoughtful sip of his drink, "I need to think about this, but first I'll need to speak to Steffy, about everything. I'll go over there tomorrow, but tonight, would you mind if I just crashed here for the night?"

Bill shrugs, "I've already had one of the gust bedrooms made up, just in case."

Liam nods and walks back to the couch, this time taking the entire bottle of The Lark with him. "Thanks dad."

Wyatt smiles and reaches for the bottle again as Bill sighs, knowing none the precious drop will live to see the morning.

Meanwhile . . . . .

Ridge has already rung Taylor and she's told him that Steffy wants, and needs, to be alone right now, and that she's sent Marius to accompany her past the reporters to her car. Ridge makes up his mind he'll see her tomorrow, no matter what, he needs her to know he has her back.

He thinks back to both Erics and Brookes reaction and a deep feeling of shame envelopes him as he finally faces the irrevocable truth. He had been a horrendous father to his own children! He's placed Brooke and her children above his own flesh and blood.

All of the times I sided with her, all of the times I put Hope in front of my own children, the only exception being when Steffy was so deeply hurt that I somehow grew a bit of a conscience. But how long did that last? He thinks to himself bitterly. A week? A month tops, then I just went straight back to what Brooke demanded of me, and Eric is exactly the same! Brooke has had both of us dancing to her tune since she's known us.

He swipes a hand over his mouth as shame and guilt continue to envelope him. He realises that he must make changes, now, and if either Brooke or Eric don't like it, or if they go against him, then this time he was finally going to make a stand. This time he was determined that he would fight for his children, and more than that, he would fight to regain at least a modicum of his own self-respect back!

First things first, "I need to see Felicia," he mutters as he changes direction in the car and heads to his old home.

Meanwhile back at Donnas . . . .

Donna places her phone down as she finally finishes her call. Finally, the last of her arrangements have been made, and instead of feeling trepidation at what she is about to do, she instead feels relief. It's as if a knot that has been building inside her has finally been unravelled, the only thing she regrets if Marius, a part of her knows he would never love her, not in the way she wanted or needed, but they could have had so much fun together.

She smiles sadly "Que sera, sera," she says, just as she hears a car pull up out the front.

As she moves to the front door it swings open and Hope staggers in, Donna barely manages to catch her as she throws herself into her arms crying. She slowly manoeuvres her over to the settee and allows her to continue her sobbing whilst she holds her.

"It's going to be okay Hope, you'll get through this, I promise." She says gently.

Hopes sobs slowly quieten and she raises her head. "Did you see? Did you see what Steffy did to me? What she did to my reputation, to my marriage!"

Donna nods, "I'm so sorry this has happened to you. Look, I'll give Brooke a ring and tell her to come and pick you and Beth up, you need your mother right now, far more than you need me."

Hope stares at her and nods vaguely as Donna quickly picks up her phone and sends Brooke a text telling her where Hope is and that she needs her here now, she then turns back to Hope.

"Okay, she shouldn't be long."

Hope sniffs and wipes her eyes, "Thanks Aunt Donna."

"Would you like some tea?" asks Donna gently.

Hope shakes her head, "Tea isn't going to fix this, I need some help," she looks at Donna beseechingly, "Could you speak to Liam? Make him understand it was all just a stupid mistake, that I was drunk and didn't know what I was doing." She asks quickly.

"Were you?" asks Donna blandly.

"What?" says a clearly shocked Hope, "What do you mean."

Donna shakes her head, "You had Liam, Hope, and we all saw how you got him, but believe it or not I had given you the benefit of the doubt on that. I believed that it was true love, and that things "just happened," but to do this twice? No, even if you were drunk, you made a choice Hope, you, not Steffy, not Liam, and not even Finn, you did this, you chose to cheat on your husband, you chose to have sex with Steffi's husband, and that's something I refuse to get involved in. You made your own choices, now it's time for you to pay the piper – whether you like it or not there are always consequences for someone's actions, so far everyone, me included, have protected you from ever facing any consequences for the things you have done to people. Well, no more, it ends here, you want to destroy people's lives? Then at least be woman enough to shoulder the responsibility for the cruelty you've inflicted!"

Hopes eyes go wide. "How dare you judge me, especially after I forgave you for the Eric fiasco!" she snaps.

"The Eric fiasco as you put it was, and is, none of your damn business, and unlike you, I have actually learned from it. I've finally had enough Hope. I love you, and I love my sister, you're my family, but I just can't handle what you do any more, so I'm taking a leaf out of Katies book, I'm leaving! So please go and gather up Beth, and when Brooke arrives, please just leave, I still have a lot of packing to do and I don't want any more drama."

With that Donna turns and walks up to her room, shaking in shock at what she has just said and done. Marius was right, all this time I've been coddling and enabling both of them. I just need to get away from this place or it's going to swallow me whole! She thinks to herself as she scoots up to her bedroom.

As she begins packing she vaguely hears Hope waking Beth and collecting her things. When her mother arrives a short time later all she hears is the door slam as Hope and Beth walk outside to meet her. It's not until she hears the car re-start and move off down the driveway that she finally sinks onto her bed and lets her tears begin to flow.

Sniffing loudly, she gathers a picture of her son and his family to her chest, "I'm coming baby, and this time I'm going to be the best mother and grandmother you could ever wish for." She kisses the photo gently before packing it away and resuming her work, she's now hopeful that she could actually be gone by tomorrow morning at the latest.

For the first time in what feels like an eternity, she smiles in anticipation.