L.A. FREEWAY - MIDDAY

"Well?!" Kortni snaps.

Brandi closes her eyes, and the words that roll from her tongue seem to be all too familiar...

We are in an office of a corporate enterprise. An anonymous man, in his mid 40's, grabs Brandi by the collar and throws her up against a wall. Brandi screams but he slaps her mouth. Tears roll down her cheeks as he yells something at her. She yells back, "Mr. Sullivan, I can't!" Now we are at a school premises, where Brandi presses a detonation device, and a bus explodes. Brandi weeps, the detonator trembling in her hands.

Kortni sits back, stunned, pulling the car over to the shoulder of the freeway. "Why didn’t you bring this up earlier. Huh? Why?"

"You don’t understand, the man’s a lunatic..."

"So what?! The man is going to jail!"

"He has more power than that, Kortni," Brandi pleads, "There is no stopping him!"

"Not if I have anything to do about it. You know, I never really liked you. You are a whiny, self-pitying twirp who’s got her head stuck way too far up her @ss to notice what’s going on around her. Now if there is anything else I need to know, you better tell me now because God knows I am up to HERE with you!"

Brandi sits silent, staring deeply at her shoes as Kortni finishes scolding her. After an intense moment of silence, Brandi inquires the future.

"So, what next." Brandi says.

"I don’t know. This changes absolutely everything...but it’s all starting to make sense now. Sullivan is powerful, and is pretty ruthless in business. But there’s no motive."

"Stephanie and Tristan both agreed that he had a real agenda against Taylor. So, if anything, our motive is there..."

Kortni’s eyes brighten up, "And Sullivan’s involvement may have to do with the murder of Scott Rice!"

"You mean Taylor’s father?" Brandi asks.

"Yes! And if that’s true, then there is a reason that the therapist gave Taylor a false diagnosis, " Kortni explains, "she might be in cahoots with Sullivan."

"My God it is all starting to make sense!"

"Sullivan payed you off to kill the guys...but his real agenda was against Taylor."

"That’s probably because at the time he was trying to discover the truth about his father’s death, "Brandi adds, "The therapist told him that Scott was killed by a robber, when in fact it was probably Sullivan who was involved!"

Kortni looks at Brandi quizzically, "But two questions still remain. First, what was the motive for Sullivan to go after Scott, and second, what does he have to do with Jeff?"

ROLL OPENING CREDITS, "Oops!...I Did It Again" Britney Spears

Starring:

Nicholas Brendon as Alex Harrison

Jonathon Taylor Thomas as Taylor Brookdale

Jennifer Love Hewitt as Lyndsay Schofield

Britney Spears as Candice Rogers

Gillian Anderson as Kortni Hope

Christina Aguilera as Amanda Friedman

Also in this Episode:

Katie Holmes as Josie Lische

Sarah Michelle Gellar as Brandi Vandal

HONOLULU HOSPITAL, TAYLOR’S ROOM - MIDDAY

Alex sits at Taylor’s side, his eyes weary with exhaustion and sleeplessness. A stir at Taylor’s bed catches his attention. Alex turns his glance to Taylor, who is starting to awaken from his unconscious state.

"Taylor?" Alex whispers. Taylor’s eyes slowly open to meet Alex’s gaze.

"Oh..." Taylor says, grasping his head, "My head is killing me."

Alex manages to pull off a grin, although he feels like dying now more than ever. "Just take it easy bud."

"What happened?"

"You want the full-length version or the recaps?" Alex asks.

"Make it short - and Alex?"

"Yeah."

"Please don’t yell."

Alex smiles at Taylor’s sense of humor, though he knows that the smile will fade after learning of the recent events.

"To sum it all up, Josie tried to kill us, and Candice and Lyndsay found out about me hitting Josie and then dumping her."

"Great. What happened to Josie?" Taylor asks, his head throbbing. Each painful pulse seems to jab at his head as he tries to make sense of what Alex is saying.

Alex’s eyes gaze at the floor. "Josie’s dead. For good this time."

Taylor is silent. A few moments of intense silence pass before Alex speaks again.

"She hit her head on some railing, after the fight with Amanda. Lyndsay was really upset...she had Amanda arrested."

"My God...where’s Lyndsay now?"

"She and Candice both went back to L.A. Candice says she needs some time to think about our relationship...I think she's going to break up with me."

Taylor furrows his eyebrows. "Oh no."

"Yup. And Lyndsay’s best friend just died. She asked me to stay with you while she mourns."

"What a disaster." Taylor says. "We need to go back to L.A. This needs to be sorted out and fixed, as fast as possible."

"You’re right." Alex says. "You relax and rest some more. As soon as the doctor’s give me the green light, we are out of here."

USC CAMPUS, LYNDSAY’S DORM ROOM - AFTERNOON

Lyndsay lays motionlessly in her bed, in a deep sleep.

"So, how are you going to deal?"

Lyndsay turns around to face the person speaking to her. It is Josie.

"I’ll probably take a few weeks off from school. Where am I?" Lyndsay says, inspecting her surroundings; what appears to be a bright and airy bachelor pad apartment, furnished luxuriously but less than ornate.

Josie smiles. "You miss me, don’t you."

"More than you know," Lyndsay smiles, her emotions beginning to surface. "But I don’t get it."

Josie laughs. "What’s so hard to get? I made a mistake, and I paid for it."

"I’m going to make her pay," Lyndsay says, angry, "I’m going to make Amanda pay for this..."

Josie tilts her head at Lyndsay in dismay, "You know that’s not what you want. And you know it’s not what I want for you...or me. What happened to me is my fault. I was ignorant, and stupid, and completely went over the edge."

"But, it’s to soon! How can you possibly be gone, Josie? It’s not your time..."

Josie smiles, lovingly placing her index finger on Lyndsay’s lips, a comforting coo calming her down.

Lyndsay looks deeply into Josie’s eyes. "I’m turning 19 in a few days."

"I know." Josie says, as she soothingly runs her hand across Lyndsay’s face. "I wouldn’t miss it for the world."

"But you’re...you’re..."

"Dead?" Josie asks, "Maybe, but I will always be right here, in your heart."

Josie pats Lyndsay’s chest. Lyndsay’s eyes start to water. Josie only frowns sympathetically and wipes a tear from Lyndsay’s cheek.

"I know you’re hurting right now," Josie coos, "But God works in mysterious ways: you won’t be hurting for much longer."

"How can you be so sure?" Lyndsay’s voice cracks as her desperate tears fall to the ground, "When will I see you again?"

"Remember," Josie smiles, "I'll always be in your heart."

Lyndsay gasps, sitting up, her eyes shooting wide open, emotional tears of sadness and relief springing from her eyes. She sits there for a moment, her breathing heavy and exhausted.

ROLL CLOSING CREDITS

Next week, in Episode 31 of "Friends and Foes":