Viki asks her to move back to Llanview but when she leaves the room, Roxy tries to convince the girl to room with her. She'll give the girl sunshine 24/7, she promises, and asks that Natalie think about it. She's changed from long ago. Soon after, Natalie expresses regret to Jess for wasting time before expressing her feelings to Cris. She recalls their last kiss and the last time she saw him. Treat every moment with Antonio as the last one, she urges her sister. 

John arrives at the closed diner to extend his apologies to Carlotta and Antonio. He blames himself for Cris' death but learns that Antonio finds fault with himself as well. He asks after Nat and informs Antonio that he would do anything for them if ever needed. 



11/7 Natalie shows up at Antonio's as he and John leave to find Flynn. Jessica and Natalie miss Cris. Flynn starts to tell Blair the truth. After Walker knocks out his look-alike, Blair demands the truth. When Flynn comes to, Walker forces him out of the penthouse and offers him money to disappear. John and Antonio show up, confused about the identity of each man as they step into the elevator. When the elevator falls to the ground floor, John and Antonio try to pry to doors open to get to the men inside.

11/10 Antonio, John and Blair find one body in the crashed elevator as Walker staggers in with a gunshot wound. Walker convinces Blair, John and Antonio that Flynn is the dead man in the elevator. Blair accepts Walker's version of what happened and tells him she wants to get married immediately. Bo and John fear that the Music Box Killer has come to Llanview after finding Elyssa's dead body in Angel Square.

11/11 Antonio suggests to John that they consult with Rae as they start to profile the Music Box killer.

Dvd #1B 11/12 An exhausted Bo looks over the growing file of the Music Box Killer. When Nora stops by they talk about John McBain who appears to be an intense guy who is a good detective and goes on his instincts. It appears that this job is his life and he does things his own way. 

John lugs his belongings into a dismal hotel room and lovingly sets up a framed publicity photo of an Eve McBain, "appearing nightly." He places a dusty LP on the record player. Ripping down the already peeling wallpaper, he starts to staple folders on the wall, creating a massive bulletin board related to his latest case.

Antonio arrives to discuss the latest findings and they learn that there's a pattern, with killings occurring every 15 days. They figure they have a week before another may happen. They also notice the similarities in the cases; besides the appearance of music boxes, each victim has been strangled with a red leotard and each has red tears drawn on her face. Antonio learns that the woman in the photo is John's mother. 



Natalie applies for a job as a bartender at Rodi's and gets the position after mixing a drink for the manager. While Al/Michael gets Marcie a drink, Nat sits down with her. She admits to dropping out of school and that she is afraid to move Cris' belongings because he'll be gone for good.

When interrupted by Al/Michael, Marcie introduces him to Nat; his last name is McBain and yes, John is his brother, he responds to Nat's question. Marcie urges him to leave them be and tells Nat that she has felt Al's presence and that she needed him to be able to move on. He "wrapped his hands around my heart..." she says. Nat replies that she feels cold and empty. She dashes off, upset.

Nat is accosted by Pete, a harmless homeless man, and is rescued by Antonio and John. After Antonio agrees to accompany him to the shelter for the night, she tells John that she has "...a pain in my heart." John tries to comfort her but she wants no part of him. She doesn't want him anywhere near her.

Al/Michael spots his brother and the two end up back at Rodi's for a drink. They make small talk, but obviously have not seen or spoken to each other in quite a long time. Al/Michael refuses to call their mother; that part of his life closed a long time ago, he tells his brother. 

Antonio and John meet with Bo to discuss their latest findings and to show him the evidence. They decide that it could be a plant, with the killer playing a cat and mouse game with them. All of the victims seem to be related via strip clubs except for Elyssa and they decide to check into her whereabouts during the recent year. The men agree that they all need some rest. It is agreed that Daniel will be kept away from John and the investigation.

John returns to his room and plays another old record. Soon, a knock on the door suspends his thoughts and it turns out to be Natalie. She explains that she's been trying to understand it all and get on with her life, but every time she sees him, it forces her to remember it all. She doesn't want him to help her or be there for her. It's too bad if he feels guilty about it. He'll do whatever she wants him to, he replies solemnly. Confused, she replies that she's not really sure why she's there. It was to tell him to go to hell, he prompts her. "Go to hell," she tells him.

11/14 When John runs into Natalie at Rodi's he offers to leave. When Daniel questions John about the Music Box Killer, he refuses to talk stating that Bo knows everything. Upset, Daniel tries to score points by mentioning Cristian, which enrages Natalie. Later, when she accidentally knocks a stack of papers off of John's table, she helps him answer some questions in his notes.

At Rodi's, Antonio and John get to know each other, causing Natalie to confront him when he says he grew up in Atlantic City. The next morning, Evangeline informs John of the case that Elyssa was investigating for Kevin. 

When Todd attempts to leave for the airport to meet up with Blair, he runs into John who wants to question him about Elyssa.

11/17 Antonio invites John to dinner, unaware that Jessica has also invited Natalie. John is impressed when Natalie jumps to the defense of the murdered women and shares a little bit about his past.

11/18 Natalie and Jen argue when Jen states she wants to attend Cristian's memorial service.

11/19 At Rodi's, Nat insists that Jen is cheating on Joe, who refuses to accept what she has to say. A pool table is delivered and Nat learns that John requested it to be sent over from a now closed Crossroads. It doesn't sit too well with her. Jess admits that she knew about the pool table and that John was just trying to be nice. Nat takes off.

Antonio and John learn that all of the victims in the Music Box Killer case were students in formal dance classes. Al/Michael shows up and calls Antonio by name. John introduces them and the guys briefly try to figure out why Michael knew Antonio's name.

They quickly forget it and move on, with Al/Michael looking at the autopsy reports of the victims. He explains them to John and mentions that he can tell that the last girl really fought her attacker. The brothers also reminisce about the doctor who helped in killing their father by being drunk.

John has further information on Elyssa; he's learned that she was working undercover as a lap dancer for an insurance company. They were investigating a strip club in Atlantic City for fraud. As everyone discusses the cases, Natalie bursts in and orders John to stay out of her life. He takes her outside, trying to soothe her. He wanted to be there when it was delivered, he tells her. He gives her various reasons as to why it's a good idea for the table to be at Rodi's but she hastily retorts that she won't ever play again.

John and Bo continue to discuss their case and make note of the classical music theme; the dance classes versus the tune in the music boxes. All of the boxes play the same tune it is noted. Nat wanders over to the pool table and finds herself caressing it. 

A gloved hand reaches for another music box and winds it up. A copy of The Sun lays nearby, with the music box killer news headlining the front page.

11/20 Although tempted, Natalie can't bring herself to use the pool table that John gave her.

11/21 Roxy burst through the door and blurted out the news at the top of her lungs that Vicki’s plane had gone missing. Natalie was upset that the news had been kept from her. John made some calls and found out that Viki had called Kevin and she had survived the crash. Natalie thanked John for his help. 

Jen and Karen came back to Karen's hotel room after their evening at the exotic dancing club, where they both obviously had a very good time. The Music Box Killer was right behind them, however, and picked the lock to get in when the two girls were in the other room checking out how Jen looked in some of Karen's clothes.

Jen passed out in the bathtub. When she woke up and stumbled into the bedroom, she found Karen's body lying on the floor with a red leotard around her neck and a music box next to her. Jen picked up the phone and dialed Joey, but then changed her mind and hung up. Instead, she called Rex and begged him to help her.

11/24 Rex arrives at Karen's hotel room and tries to convince Jen to call the police. She absolutely refuses, Joey can't find out that she was hanging out with Karen. Rex agrees to help her and wipes down the room to get rid of all evidence that Jen had been there. She heads back to UltraViolet with Rex because she's too shaky to go home and face Joey. 

Ron becomes a suspect in the Music Box murders because he's involved in the dance lessons at the Community Center and because he went to school with the first girl who was killed.

When he comes into the police station at Bo's request, he has bruises on his face. He doesn't have an alibi for the night Elyssa was murdered, he was at home by himself. 

A maid finds Karen's body in her room and screams in horror. Later, Bo, Nora, John McBain and the Llanview police show up to investigate the crime scene. Nora notices the scent of perfume in the air that does not belong to Karen.

11/25 At Ultraviolet, Marcie defends Jen to Natalie when she calls her a tramp. John searches Karen's room for clues to who the Music Box Killer is. Marcie begs him to search for a suspect other than Ron. Showing up at Ultraviolet, John questions Rex's connection to Karen. Sitting with Antonio, John shows him the ring found at the crime scene and Jessica recognizes it as Jen's.

11/26 Down at the police station, John interviews Ron regarding the music box killings, as Daniel and Bo look on. Marcie is concerned that her brother will be held with Daniel's insistence, even though he reluctantly gives them an alibi for his whereabouts and facial bruises. He got into a fight with some guys hanging around the Palace parking lot, who bad-mouthed Marcie and Al. There were no witnesses that he knows of.



As Jess and Nat talk about their brother and Jen's losing her ring, the coincidence of John's finding a ring in the latest victim's hotel room becomes apparent. When Nat sees her picture in the paper, she realizes that she saw Jen with the woman, Karen, and that they left Rodi's together.

Nat heads for the station where she tells John her suspicions. She also defends Ron, while Marcie begs to have him released. 

Joe remarks about the party to a confused looking Natalie who in turn confides to Jess that she went to see John. Jen receives a call from John requesting to see her at the police station for questioning. When Jen arrives at the police station, the first thing that John comments on is her perfume. He gets her to give him the name of it. He shows her a picture of Karen but Jen denies knowing her.

He also shows her the ring retrieved at the crime scene. She continues to deny everything, even when he mentions that he has a witness. She jumps up to leave, telling him she wants a lawyer. As she heads out, Rex walks in, happily showing her the ring that he "found in the sheets." He whispers to John not to mention it to anyone, since Jen is the rev's wife. John doesn't appear to buy it and tells Jen he'll be questioning her again.

12/4 John tells Antonio he is suspicious of Jen's alibi. Finding Jen at the Student Union, John tells her that he knows Rex lied for her. Tripping her up, John realizes she was at the crime scene. When Jen confesses, he takes her to LPD to write a statement.

12/5 Jen and Rex file their statements with the police. John worries that the Music Box Killer will find out that Jen is the eyewitness that Daniel leaked to the press.

12/8 Marcie discovers that Madison is the latest victim of the Music Box Killer and tells John that Michael/Al had been arguing with Madison. Natalie picks up her pool cue for the first time since Cristian's death.

12/10 The police begin their investigation of the Music Box Killer. Bo and John talk about Ron Walsh and the fact that their tail lost him. They also have a witness who saw the deceased arguing with Michael McBain, who is called into the station. He rehashes his argument with Madison, mentioning that he used to date her and he was admonishing her for the Al/Marcie incident. Al/Michael is drilled by John and Colson.

Ron Walsh is brought into the station and upon questioning, admits that he thought a mugger was following him, which is why he went out of his way to lose him. Colson doesn't believe him but suddenly Ron appears unable to breathe and passes out. Al/Michael suspects an allergic reaction to the shrimp that he finds in the bag that Ron was carrying and gives him an EPI. Ron is brought to the hospital.

John praises his brother who mentions that he really wanted to be a lawyer since he was a boy. John corrects him, reminding him that it was a doctor he had his sights set on. Al/Michael smoothes things over by saying it was only a joke. 

Jess and Antonio head for home as Nat looks at them sadly. John arrives and tells Nat that he's worried about her. She needs to be careful with the killer on the loose, he advises her. 


12/11 When Rex comes into Rodi's, Natalie asks if his good mood is because Jen finally went to bed with him. Natalie looks on as Jen kisses Rex, fed up, she kicks her sister-in-law out of the bar. Roxy begs Nat not to tell Joey about Jen. When Joe asks his sister about his wife, she decides not to tell him that she left with Rex.

12/13 At Rodi's, Roxy confronts John and wonders when they are going to catch the Music Box Killer. Helping her decorate for Christmas, Natalie and John compare their childhood holidays. After leaving a present with John for Michael, Marcie leaves to prepare to sing at St. James.

12/15 Jen is attacked by the Music Box Killer and knocked unconscious. The killer escapes when Rex returns unexpectedly. Natalie isn't pleased to learn that Roxy invited John over. Natalie and John grow closer but Natalie warns Roxy not to play matchmaker again.

12/17 Roxy arrives at Rodi's with an armful of Christmas gifts that she found in the garage. It turns out that they are from Cristian who did his shopping early and hid the packages. While Nat is apprehensive about opening her gift, Roxy can't wait to open her own, which turns out to be a tee-shirt inscribed, "I Beat the One-Armed Bandit." 

John, Nora and Bo discuss the case and the many details that are different from previous cases. John shows them a bag that was found near Jen's assault, which looks familiar to Nora. It dawns on her that it strongly resembles a bag that Troy had which provokes John's curiosity.

It can't be his though, she insists, as he's locked up in a maximum-security cell in Statesville. John wonders if Troy could have gotten out but Nora says no way. He is uneasy and insists on checking it out. Later, he discloses that Troy is locked in his cell, his belongings in storage. Nora insists that the bag can't be Troy's. 

Antonio enters looking for John and awkwardly takes his gift from Roxy.

When Carlotta shows up, she eagerly receives hers and opens it to reveal an antique that she once told Cristian she wanted. He receives a frantic call from Evangeline telling him that she was able to place a link to yet another victim; this one was married to an African-American like Nora. Nat puts her gift away under the bar.

12/18 Bo receives a written, coded message from the Music Box Killer. Riley helps Bo and John break the code. Bo and John realize the decoded message is the address of Troy's former loft. Bo fears the killer may target Flash as his next victim and places her under police protection.

12/19 Natalie opens the card from Cristian, running out of Rodi's when she becomes upset. Later John shows up, Roxy tells him that Natalie took off and convinces him to go look for her. 

John and Bo go through the evidence from the Music Box killings. When Flash calls, Bo insists that she let the police protect her. Rae brings Steven Haver to the police station to help Bo and Rae profile the Music Box Killer.

12/22 John tracks Natalie down at the Buchanan lodge. John relates a sad story to Natalie about a Christmas he spent away from Michael and their mother. Roxy and Natalie both remember an unhappy Christmas in Atlantic City. John comforts Natalie when she breaks down over Cristian and convinces her to return to Llanview with him. Al succeeds in getting Michael to commit a good deed by having Michael soften towards John.

12/23 Christmas at Llanfair begins, Natalie, Joe, and Vicki gather. Nat tells Vicki about finding comfort with a stranger, though she says he isn’t that much of a stranger anymore. John shows up and she asks him to stay. He says he is going to take off, and tells her that a miracle has happened as his brother Michael invited him to go for a drive to Atlantic City to see their mother.

12/24 Joe, Jess and Nat celebrate the holiday at Llanfair together. Nat gets called to work at Rodi's but she doesn't mind. Finally opening the gift from Cris, Nat finds a painting of herself, captured while sleeping. Before she can react too strongly, John walks in, looking for a change of scenery. She needed it too, she tells him, so she didn't mind coming to work. When John reaches out to touch Nat's painting, she becomes angry and runs off, just as Jess arrives. "If you really want to help her, lighten up," Jess tells John. Nat needs to take the time to get over Cris. Responding that he only wants to make her feel better, he agrees that both of them are stubborn people.

Taking Jess' suggestion to lighten up, John leaves and returns with a big red bag full of fruitcakes and dumps them all out. All of the cops receive at least three apiece for Christmas, he says. Nice Christmas music montage of various couples, Nat and John share a special moment at the pool table and when things get awkward, he shoves her a plate of fruitcake.

12/26 John and Bo continue to seek answers to the Music Box Killings.