DAVID and EMILY are talking at the Mona Lisa. KIRK and SAMANTHA come in and tell them about how Kirk hit James. MARGO comes over and tells them that James pressed charges against Kirk and there is a warrant out for his arrest and she takes him in.
JOHN is in the rest room of the Mona Lisa thinking his cancer has come back. Bob comes in the restaurant looking for Kim. Andy tells him she has already left, then leaves himself. John returns to the table and wants to talk to Bob about Lew's replacement. When he has a "spell," Bob tells him to sit down. They talk about the possibility of a recurrence of the cancer. Bob insists that they go to the hospital and have John checked by his oncologist. Bob offers to call Barbara but John says she would just feel obligated to come to the hospital. Andy comes back and John tells him what has happened, then Margo comes in and finds out about it.
LUCINDA and MOLLY are locked in Lucinda's office at the City Times while Lucinda is trying to get her to tell the truth. Lucinda tells her she is in serious trouble and will be charged with perjury. She tells Molly she is going to make her a star telling everything about her, starting with her baby. She will have her followed 24 hours a day sabotaging every job chance, etc. Lucinda has a tape recorder and commands, "TALK." Lucinda talks about how Mr. and Mrs. Williams wouldn't like to hear what their daughter's birth mother has done. The janitor unlocks the door and lets Kim in and Lucinda realizes Kim is defending Molly. Kim takes Molly home. Sam bursts in and tells about Kirk's arrest and James' transfer to the Oakdale jail.
JAMES is in the cell next to HOLDEN. Holden tells James that someone out there is getting evidence to clear him. He goes to talk to Tom while Margo and Kirk come in and find out that James is there in jail. Emily comes to visit James. She tells him she and David are not frightened. He tells her that David doesn't really love her and she shows him her engagement ring. He tries to cast doubt on the idea that David used the money for a down payment on the house. At the Mona Lisa, Emily meets David and she suggests that they move away from Oakdale for a while. He says after James testifies against Kirk, they will send him back where he was and they will be rid of him.
BARBARA is at Hal's house checking on Will who is sick in bed with the flu. They talk about losing people they love. Hal suggests that she go to Johnny's grave but she says it is too soon. They talk about Carly's disappearance and he thinks he pushed too hard. Barbara tries to call John to tell him about Will but she can't reach him anywhere and she seems very worried. Hal gets a call about James' transfer. He orders a double guard on James. When Barbara finds out about it, she goes into a panic and Hal offers her a chance to stay at his house tonight and says he would feel safer if she were there.
CARLY and JACK are straining to get themselves untied. Jack suggests that they move towards a trowel that he sees and maybe they can use it to get untied. When they break through the ropes, Jack goes for the door but of course it is locked. Jack rubs Carly's feet to get the circulation going. He says she always has a hidden agenda. She says she is not going to spend the last few hours of her life arguing with him. Jack proposes a truce for the time they are in there but insists they will get out. They try to keep one another warm by holding each other. Carly gets panicky and cries that she doesn't want to die and he keeps reassuring her that they will live.
JAMES is taunting HOLDEN because Jessica has told him that Lily has gone to talk to someone who might be able to help him but she did not tell Holden where she went. LUCINDA comes in to see for herself that James is there. She tells him to leave Holden alone and not even mention Lily's name. Holden tells Lucinda that he thinks Lily located Steve (the tape editor). Lucinda tries to call Lily and finds that she had to go to New York to track down Steve. Lucinda tells her to bring him back tomorrow for the trial. Holden asks her if she knows where Jack is and she says she will find out. James tells Lucinda that he will be out of prison by spring and will marry Sam. Lucinda goes to Hal and asks for Holden to be transferred away from James. Later James offers to do a favor for Holden. He says he could get him out of this mess but he would want something from Holden in return. Holden turns his back on him.
At Ecstasy Films in New York the airhead secretary won't let Lily see Steve but Lily tells her she is a producer. The secretary says she wants to "get into the business" and Lily tells her she can give her some advice if she will just get her in to see Steve. Lily tells Steve that he is the only witness to the fact that Molly scratched Holden in the hotel room. He says it is not his problem. She tells him that she has talked to her lawyer and that he could be charged with fraud and conspiracy because of the tape editing plus the fact that he tried to blackmail her. She tells him that he doesn't want her as an enemy. He agrees to go with her.
Teague goes to the free clinic to be treated for the cut on his arm. He looks up and sees Ben. Teague says he wants to see a real doctor. Ben says his cut looks like it came from a fight. They have an argument and Ben grabs him while Camille is trying to stop him. Bob breaks up the fight. Ben goes to Margo and asks where Jack is. Lucinda comes up and wants to know the same thing. She says Jack is not at the farm. Ben tells Lucinda about Teague coming into the clinic with a cut. They decide to team up and "cut the cops out."
Bob puts stitches in Teague's arm and then tells him that he knows what he did and that the truth will come out.
Margo tells Holden she might have to take some time off because of John's condition. Then she suggests that they get a replacement for Carly. He tells her to hire a temp.
JACK is trying to keep CARLY's spirits up while trying to figure a way out of the shed. Carly says when they get out of there, they will go for pizza. Jack says, "Sometimes when you think you're beat, you find some other way by persevering." Carly hears something outside and they start calling for help until Jack decides it was just an animal. He says when they get out of there, he is going to change things and get a real life. He apologizes for the bad things he has said to her. He says he is glad that they have found they can really cooperate. They talk about how nice it would be if people could go back and fix their mistakes (as they get ready to kiss).
LUCINDA and BEN are at the City Times talking about joining forces to get Teague. She says, "We may have to get our hands a little bit dirty." She has a plan that is slightly illegal but Teague won't know it until it's too late. KIRK comes in because they need his help. She is making him temporary editor- in-chief of the paper. Next scene--Kirk is greeting Teague in "his" office. He wants to hire Teague because Security Consultants in Chicago recommended him very highly. Lucinda has the office bugged and she and Ben are listening. Teague says this isn't his kind of job and that he is going to get his job back with the force. He has a lawyer working on it. He says he doesn't have a family to support any more. Kirk offers him a good salary and Teague takes the job -- only until he gets his badge back. He will start tomorrow.
CARLY and JACK are talking about their mistakes in the past. Jack says, "Maybe this is our chance to make things right." They kiss passionately. As they get close to making love, Carly stops and says she can't because of Hal. She says she really cares for Hal and he feels the same way. Jack asks, "What about us?" She answers, "I'm the last thing you need." Then she says she can't feel her hands any more so he puts them inside his coat. They kiss again. Suddenly Carly starts hallucinating that they are at the pond and it is hot.
KIM is trying to keep MOLLY from moving out. Molly says she is nothing but trouble for Kim. She says Lucinda is going to come after Kim if she continues to help Molly. As Kim goes to help Chris with his homework, Andy comes in and sees Molly's bag and says he will drive her anyplace she wants to go--as long as it's far. He urges her to tell the truth. He says if she hurts his mother like she has hurt Lily and Holden, she will have to answer to him. Later Kim finds Molly starting a salad but Molly says she was just waiting to say goodbye. Kim says, "If you ever need a friend, I'm here." Kim then tells her a story about a time in her own life when she felt she didn't deserve anyone's help but she got it anyway. She tells her that when she was about Molly's age, she was in love with someone and was hurting the two people she cared most about. She says she decided that if she really loved him that much, the best thing was to walk away and the person she hurt most forgave her. Molly says that the last person she trusted was her father until he took her baby away. She tells Kim all about her family and her pregnancy. She thought she was going to keep her baby until she woke up after the birth and found that the baby was already gone. Then she tells her that she went to see Holden in jail to tell him that she still loved him and saw Lily come in with the sonogram. She knows now that she has lost him forever.
BOB brings JOHN's tests to him and they are negative for cancer but he has an ulcer. When John tries to call Barbara he finds that she is spending the night at Hal's. Meanwhile BARBARA is pacing the floor because James is back in town. HAL tries to reassure her. A knock on the door--in walks John. He thinks she has moved back in with Hal. She explains about Will's illness and about James. He takes out his beeper and finds that he had forgotten to turn it on. That is why he didn't return her phone calls. He tells her what he was doing while she was trying to reach him. She gets upset because he hadn't told her that he thought the cancer was returning. "I can't believe you'd shut me out like this." He reminds her of what she has been doing to him. They have a big argument and John leaves for home.
SAM appears at STENBECK's jail cell. She's there to tell him to back off, that she loves Kirk, but like Kaa the Snake, Stenbeck mesmerizes her with his evil charm. Sam tries to fight him but is drawn closer into his web.
TEAGUE reports to KIRK for his first day of work at the City Times. He tells Kirk that he's early and that he's forgotten his wallet at home and needs to go get it. Kirk tells him "NO!," knowing that LUCINDA and BEN are at his apartment that very moment looking for evidence. When a reporter wants to print the Kirk-James fiasco on the front page of the City Times, Kirk kills the story and fires the reporter. As Teague is escorting the reporter out the door, he tells Kirk that a beautiful blonde was seen visiting Stenbeck's cell. Kirk realizes it was Samantha and rushes there in time to see Stenbeck kissing Samantha's hand.
MARGO and HAL are at the police station. They are each searching for reasons why neither Jack nor Carly have been seen for awhile. Both are at a loss for an explanation. Margo walks into the surveillance room and begins monitoring the bug at Teague's house. She is shocked when she realizes Lucinda and Ben are there. She promptly proceeds to break up their little party. They show her a hospital uniform they found in Teague's closet, but she tells them the evidence in no good because it was gathered illegally and they must cease and desist these activities immediately because they are not helping Holden.
CARLY and JACK are fighting hypothermia in the tool shed. Carly becomes delirious and attacks Jack thinking he is her abusive ex-boyfriend, Alan. Jack is able to bring her back to reality. Carly expresses her sorrow that no one loves her, that all she ever wanted was to be loved, but that she doesn't deserve it. When she begins to fade away again, Jack begs her to keep fighting. He tells her he needs her, "you mean everything to me."
NIKKI interrupts ANDY while he is processing some graphic car wreck photographs. He is in a bad mood. She insists on seeing the photos and he explains to her that the children were killed by a drunk driver. When she feels sympathy for the driver, Andy becomes more irritated. She questions what "Mr. Perfect" knows about it. He tells her that "jerk" use to be me. She realizes that was why he rescued her from the Falcon Club. She tells him that it is his "secret motive" to save people. He abruptly leaves the room telling her "When I need a shrink, I know who to call."
KIRK confronts JAMES and SAM at the jail. He tells them to stay away from each other and he and Sam leave. James taunts "you better enjoy her while you can."
BARBARA, LISA, HAL, KIM, BOB, MOLLY and JOHN have all come to the courthouse to testify at Holden's trial. Hal asks Lisa if she has heard from Carly and she shakes her head no. John approaches Barbara, but she give him the cold shoulder. Kim continues to work on Molly trying to appeal to her once again to tell the truth.
HOLDEN, LILY, LUCINDA and TOM are in the courtroom waiting for the trial to begin. Tom explains how a non-jury trial will benefit Holden's case. When Holden asks what will happen if it doesn't, Tom tells him he will get 25 years to life. The witnesses are gathered together in a room and called one by one to testify. SUSAN and BOB are called first. They testify regarding Molly and Holden's confrontation at the free clinic. Then the COP who witnessed Holden's beating of the homeless man takes the stand. HAL is then called to testify about the incident at the police station and is forced to offer his opinion as an expert witness, "Yes, in my opinion, on that particular day, Holden was capable of violence towards Molly." DAVID, BARBARA and JOHN each take the stand next to describe the argument between Molly and Holden that took place behind the church on the night of the fire. Holden is worried that things don't look good for him and now its time for MOLLY to take the stand.
SAM and KIRK arrive at the courthouse for his hearing. STENBECK is escorted off the elevator wearing handcuffs. JESSICA informs them that the judge is sick and the hearing must be postponed. BARBARA emerges from the courtroom and sees James in the lobby. With sudden anger she confronts him while LISA and HAL look on. He tells her to "go away." She tells him that her baby died because of the drugs he gave her. He tells her she's crazy, that she procreated with John Dixon and he doesn't care what happens to any of her children. She slaps him. JOHN also emerges from the courtroom in time to witness this. Hal then approaches Barbara. She tells him she needed that. He says he knows and that he's proud of her. John sees their interaction. Lisa tries to assure him that they are just good friends, but John finds little comfort in her words. Later, in his jail cell, while talking on the phone to the "sick" judge, Stenbeck gloats that everything is going as planned. He will soon be a free man.
Things look bad for CARLY. She begins to hallucinate. David, Jack, Jessica and Hal all appear to her in a vision, each playing out their scenario of the "baby contract." Delirious, she says, "I can't trust Jack. He won't let me keep the money." JACK doesn't understand what she means, but he realizes that Carly is suffering the last stages of hypothermia and she will die soon. Frantic, he searches the tool shed until he finds some old shotgun shells. He makes a crude bomb and places it at the door. He lights the fuse and gathers a lifeless Carly, placing her behind a barricade he has built. The bomb explodes.
