Previously…
– When Diane proposed throwing an engagement party for Samantha and Tempest, Tempest declared that she would rather use the resources to have a wedding as soon as possible.
– Lucy’s ex, Bryce, attempted to violate the restraining order against him by coming to the Halloween party to get close to Lucy. During a scuffle, Tori flung him into the bay.
– Jason questioned whether Sabrina, who has been suffering terrible headaches, could be the one sending herself threats. Sabrina was offended by the accusation and spent Thanksgiving with her family in Iowa instead of with him.

Jason Fisher stands at the doorway of his home, holding open the door as a soft winter wind floats through the opening. Sabrina Gage carries her luggage inside, sans the camera bag that Jason insisted on taking from her, and she deposits the rolling suitcase and her purse beside the credenza that sits against one wall.

“I hope your time in Iowa was good,” Jason says, testing the waters.

“It was. Yeah.” Sabrina removes the pink beanie that has been covering her head and ears; she runs her hands through her black hair to smooth it out. “It worked out nicely that I booked that engagement party to shoot. Pretty much paid for my flights.”

“That’s good.”

She nods stiffly. Jason closes the door, then hesitates, unsure where to place himself. Though the window has been locked outdoors, a different sort of chill now invades the foyer.

“I can take that,” Sabrina says, gesturing toward the camera bag. He awkwardly hands it over.

“I brought you something,” she continues. She unzips her purse and pulls out a small bag of chocolates. “These are those chocolates–“

“–from the little shop by your parents’ house.”

“The ones you loved when we visited. Yeah.”

He turns the package over in his hand. “Thank you. It means a lot that you brought me anything at all. Especially after…”

Sabrina dips her head. “Yeah.”

“So,” he ventures, though the follow-up words are not nearly as available as he hoped they’d be. “I hope a little space was good for you. And there were no weird threats, right?”

“No. Nothing. Were there any here?”

“Not a thing.”

“Good.” She looks at him, her gaze suddenly sharp. “You know…”

He jumps in to finish the thought for her: “If something had happened here… it would’ve shown– you know– that you really don’t have anything to do with all the other incidents and stuff. Which I know. Because I believe you, Sabrina. Really.”

She stares at him for a long moment. Jason wishes she would speak, would reassure him, but she does not.

“So I guess I have to ask outright,” he says. “Now that you’ve had some time to think… where do we stand? You and me?”

—–

The apartment’s living room smells faintly of pine — thanks to the candle Lucy Champlain lit a few minutes ago — and dust — courtesy of the artificial tree that Landon Esco retrieved from the building’s subterranean storage unit. He mutters under his breath as he wrangles one of the tree’s metal legs.

“Need help?” Lucy asks from her spot on the sofa, where she cradles a mug of hot cocoa between her hands.

“I’ve got it.” He gives the tree a final shove, and it wobbles before settling. “See? Professional.”

She smiles. “Very impressive.”

Landon finishes straightening out the tree, and a few minutes later, they are seated on the floor, the plastic tub of ornaments lying between them.

“I love that you actually have Christmas decorations,” Lucy says. “Bryce always thought it was a waste of time and money.”

“That’s possibly the worst thing you’ve told me about him yet.” Landon smirks, but it quickly fades. “Sorry if that’s insensitive. I was just–“

“No, I get it. It’s a sucky way to go through life. Never accounting for things that just bring you joy.”

“Right. Who doesn’t want to put up a Christmas tree?”

He takes a tangled strand of lights and scoots toward the wall, where he plugs them in to test them out. The white-gold glow warms the room.

“One success!” he declares, but when he turns back, he sees Lucy gazing out the bare window, at the moody gray sky and the building next door. “What’s wrong?”

“Just this time of year.” She sighs. “It feels like it makes you so aware of everything you don’t have, you know? Last year, I was living with my boyfriend, and we spent Christmas together, and now…”

Landon unplugs the lights. “Lucy. I hope you’re not thinking about–“

“No.” She shakes her head insistently. “No way. That’s not what this is.”

“Good. I worry. Even after everything he put you through…”

“I’m not going back to him. I don’t even miss him, really. I miss… not being alone.”

He nods, relieved. “You’re not alone here. You’ve got me, and you’ve got Tori, and Travis…”

“I know, and I’m grateful for all of you,” she says with a smile that takes a little too much effort.

“Now how about we get these lights on the tree?” He hops to his feet, hand clutched around the string of lights. A beat later, Lucy joins him, but the whisper of something complicated lingers on her face.

The Wild Lady is quieter than usual, the early evening lull before the crowd rolls in. Strings of white lights run along the bar, softening the space. Samantha Fisher sits at one of the barrels that serves as a high-top table, her coat draped over the back of the chair and her phone face-down in front of her. Elly Vanderbilt slides into the seat across from her, dropping her purse without ceremony.

“You know, sometimes I can’t believe I found my biological father… and he turned out to be a guy who owns a country-western bar,” Elly says. “That’s so not what I thought I’d find when I found out I was adopted.”

“You kinda love it,” Samantha says with a smile.

“I do,” Elly admits. A server — a guy in his late 20s or so, with brown hair cut into a pseudo-mullet with shaved sides, sidles up to their table, and the women take a moment to place their drink orders.

“Thanks, Grant,” Elly says as he walks away to place their orders with the bartender.

“He’s cute,” Samantha comments, a suggestive twinkle in his eye.

Elly does a double-take. “Grant?”

“He is! And you clearly know him.”

“Yeah, because he works here and my father owns the bar and I live upstairs.”

“Have you ever thought about…?”

Elly screws up her face. “No! I mean, I don’t know. He’s nice. But I’m so not in a place for that. Aren’t you supposed to be a lesbian?”

Laughing, Samantha holds up her brand-new engagement ring. “I sure am.”

“So you invited me to drinks to grill me about my personal life?” Elly says. “Because I can give you the easy answer: it’s dead.”

“I wanted to catch up!” Samantha says. “Can’t I want to spend a little time with my former college roommate?”

“Of course you can. But let’s talk about you. Have you started talking wedding plans yet? Is there a vision board?”

Samantha’s fingers tap against the table’s edge. “Well… the vision board mostly seems to be a big red sign that says ‘ASAP.'”

Elly furrows her brow. “What do you mean? What’s the rush?”

“Tempest. She wants to get married soon. As in, immediately.”

“She’s eager to marry you. That’s a good thing, right?”

Samantha winces. “It’s not that simple.”

“What do you mean, not that simple?” Elly leans forward, her elbows planted on the barrel’s edge. “Are you having second thoughts about this engagement?”

—–

Jason holds the package of chocolates in his hands, trying to tell himself that if Sabrina brought him a gift, she must want to make this work. Unless it is some sort of parting gesture. Or her Midwest manners overriding her anger.

She runs a hand over her hair again.

“I don’t know where we stand,” she admits.

“I’d like to tell you how sorry I am for– what I said before you left. I was thinking out loud, and it was inconsiderate. I’ve just been so desperate to make sense of all this.”

Sabrina exhales, slow. “Do you really think I could be doing these things to myself? My apartment went up in flames. Someone snuck into the Chases’ attic and stole that skating dress. These aren’t prank phone calls.”

“I know.” He places the chocolates down on the credenza. “I’m desperate, like I said. I’ve lost people very close to me because of incidents like this. Courtney, my dad, Ryan, Sandy… they were all killed because of dangerous, insane people running rampant.”

“You think I’m dangerous and insane?”

“No! No.” He grasps one of her hands, and she doesn’t pull it away. “I’m terrified something will happen to you. And you’ve been having these headaches, and I guess I thought… if the explanation were somehow that simple, maybe no one would actually be in danger, and…”

“Oh, Jason.” She lets her shoulders drop, just a little. “I know how panicked this all must have you. But I am not doing any of it myself. I swear.”

“I know that. I can tell.”

“Good. Because… because I missed you. A lot.”

Relief floods his system. “You did?”

“Of course. Did you miss me?”

“Like crazy.”

He pulls her into a careful hug, like he is afraid to rush it, but again, Sabrina does not resist. The danger isn’t gone, and they both know that, but at least this gulf between them is.

—–

The tree in Landon’s living room stands fully decorated now. Lucy sits on the floor, adjusting a few ornaments on the lower branches. Landon stands back, observing their work with satisfaction.

“Looks pretty good, I’ve gotta say,” he declares.

“I think so, too.” Lucy finishes fussing with the ornaments and stands to admire the tree.

“Wait! There’s one finishing touch I need to add,” Landon says before disappearing from the room. Lucy waits, not quite sure what to expect, until he returns with a box wrapped in red paper with elves all over it. A green bow rests, not quite centered, atop the box.

“What’s that?” Lucy asks with surprise.

“It’s for Tori. I’ve had it in my closet for weeks already.”

“Aww. That’s so sweet.”

Landon places the box beneath the glowing tree.

“Can I say something without making it weird?” she asks.

Standing back up, Landon grins. “You’re already saying that, so sure.”

She laughs quietly, then sobers. “Watching you and Tori together… it’s nice. Like, inspirational. You are so good to her.”

He shrugs bashfully. “I just try to… show up, you know?”

“And you do. You listen to her, you’re patient, you think about what she needs. You don’t make her feel small.”

“It’s what she deserves.”

“Yeah. She does.” Lucy reaches for the hot cocoa that has been waiting on the coffee table. “It’s inspiring, but it also makes me realize how much time I wasted on something unhealthy.”

His expression softens. “We’re just glad you’re safe now.”

“Me, too,” she says, and then adds, almost without meaning to, “And I’m glad it’s here.”

“It’s still early days for Tori and me, too.”

“But you’ve known each other forever. You have a deep bond. A real one.”

“And you’ll have that someday, too.” He offers a rousing smile. “How’s that cocoa? Lukewarm?”

“At best.”

“Why don’t I get us some more? Nothing a grown man needs in the evening more than a cup of liquid chocolate.”

Lucy giggles. “You have a way with words.”

“And with cocoa,” Landon says, sticking his index finger into the air. “Be right back.”

As he walks to the small kitchen, Lucy’s gaze follows him. Behind her, the tree continues to glow, bathing the apartment in its soft light.

—–

“Second thoughts? No!” Samantha says, sitting upright. Overheard, “Jingle Bell Rock”  by Bobby Helms begins to play.

“I just thought I should ask,” Elly replies. They pause as the waiter delivers their drinks: a vodka-cranberry for Elly, a glass of pinot grigio for Samantha.

“Thanks, Grant,” Elly tells him, and the server gives her a wink as he departs.

Samantha throws her friend a look.

“We’re talking about you,” Elly says. She picks up her cocktail and takes a short sip. “So you’re all-in on marrying Tempest. What’s the issue, then?”

“The speed, I guess. It feels like I’m on this runaway train. I didn’t even know we were going to get engaged, and now we’re racing toward a marriage. It’s giving me whiplash.”

“Have you said that to Tempest yet?”

Samantha lowers her eyes. “I haven’t.”

“Then that seems like a good place to start, no?”

Elly takes another drink of the red-hued beverage as Samantha picks up her own glass.

“You’re right. I’ve been in my head.” Samantha sips her wine. “She’s scared that if we don’t get married right away, something could happen — something else, like the complications I had after I donated bone marrow. And she wouldn’t be able to come visit me or get any information.”

“She wants to marry you as soon as she can,” Elly says. “That’s a very good thing. But if you feel like you need a minute to breathe, tell her that.”

“I’ll talk to her. Tonight when I get home, if I can.”

“That’s the Samantha I know. Upfront. Honest.”

“There is one more thing,” Samantha says.

Elly pauses, her glass mere inches from her lips. “What?”

“I also need to tell my mother to pump the brakes.”

The two women share a laugh.

“Okay, you’re going to need some liquid courage for that, from what I know,” Elly says, and they clink their glasses in a toast. The festive music and cheerful air of the bar swirl around them as they continue to catch up, and Samantha feels herself relaxing for the first time in days now that she has voiced her concerns.

END OF EPISODE 1284

How will Tempest receive Samantha’s news?
What should Lucy do with herself now?
Can Jason and Sabrina stand strong together?
Talk about it all in the comments below!

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