John & Natalie #11 September 28 - December 8, 2005: 8 hour original edit

Viki cautions John not to hurt her vulnerable daughter, as she doesn’t think Natalie could take getting her heart broken again.

9/29 John prevents Evangeline from putting Cristian's sketch on Natalie's desk at the precinct house. They are distracted by an altercation outside his office and John heads out to deal with it.

9/30 While John is out of his office, Natalie enters and finds the picture that Cristian drew of her lying on John's desk. She is flooded with memories of her "dead" husband and confused as to how the picture came into John's hands. When John and Evangeline come back into the office, Natalie demands an explanation. She asks John why he kept the picture hidden from her, and he insists that that wasn't his intention. He then tells Natalie that he is not the one she should be looking to for answers.

"Do you want to handle this one?" he asks Evangeline, who is stunned to have the spotlight focused on her. She pulls herself together and informs Nat that Cris gave her the picture years ago, before his "death." Natalie is enraged and accuses Van of hauling out the picture in order to drive a wedge between her and John. Van defends herself, but Natalie vows that she is not going to break them up and marches out of the office.

Van is annoyed with John for putting her into the middle of things, but John says he wanted Van to know what it was like to be in the hot seat. He asks her why she didn't tell Natalie the truth about the picture, and Van says that she did what she felt was right. John reminds her that that is what he was doing when he chose to keep Cristian's secret.

Meanwhile, at Statesville Prison, Carlo Hesser pulls the library cart of books past Cristian's cell. He holds up a copy of The Old Man and the Sea and says that it's the closest he could find to a Romanian freighter. Cristian reaches through the bars and begins to strangle Carlo. When Hesser says "There is a job you must do," Cristian suffers a debilitating headache and falls to his knees, releasing Hesser from his grip.

Cristian lays down on his cot, and Carlo begins to push the library cart away. He tells Cris that he will keep the assault a secret from the prison guards, and Cris brushes him off by saying that when an opportunity arises, you have to take it. Carlo then says something cryptic about opportunities arising, and Cristian flashes back to when he was prisoner on the freighter. He recalls someone saying something to him about an opportunity arising, and that the voice was very similar to Carlo's. Suddenly, it becomes evident to Cris that Hesser may have been involved with his imprisonment and brainwashing!

10/3 At Statesville, Cristian begins to wonder if Carlo had a hand in his abduction and subsequent brainwashing. Natalie returns for Cris' sketch but assures John she's completely happy with their renewed romance.

10/4 John works against the clock to get the men that Rex brought in to name R.J. Gannon as the man who hired them. Using trickery, John finally gets one of the men to verify that R.J. is involved in illegal contraband. At the eleventh hour, John and a couple of officers burst into the courtroom with a warrant for R.J.'s arrest. The judge awards custody of Jamie to Antonio, as R.J. cries out in rage. The police haul him off in handcuffs, with Lindsay following frantically behind.

Rex confronts Natalie about her ongoing feelings for Cristian. She admits that she will always love him, but that she has moved on because that's what you have to do when a loved one is murdered. Natalie wants to help Rex get over Jen. Together, they write Cristian and Jen's names onto paper airplanes, which they then send soaring into the air.

Meanwhile, in Statesville Prison, Cristian demands to know if Carlo Hesser gave him the piece of paper with the words "You have a job to do" written on it. The guard offers him no information, so Cristian goes about reading his law reference book (provided to him by Hesser). He suddenly demands that the guard arrange a visit with Evangeline Williamson.

10/6 At the precinct house, an outraged R.J. accuses John of causing him to lose custody of his beloved granddaughter. John and Natalie try to spend a stress-free day together but their plan quickly goes awry after they bump into Layla and Antonio.

10/7 Natalie and John enjoy drinks at Capricorn. When John tries acting like a "normal guy," Natalie teases him and tells him to go back to his brooding. Viki shows up and speaks to John while Natalie goes to the ladies' room. She apologizes for what she said before going to London and tells John that she is happy Natalie has moved on with a man as honorable as him. John is grateful for Viki's words, but he doesn't tell Natalie exactly what her mother said.

At Statesville, Cristian tells Evangeline that the man who brainwashed him is in prison with him, and that the man is Carlo Hesser. Evangeline grows frightened and reminds Cris that he could be in grave danger. He tells her that her priority is to keep his identity a secret, but she insists that the most important thing is ensuring his survival.

She takes off for Capricorn to meet with John, filling him in on Cris's accusations against Hesser. Van asks John what he would do if he knew that Cristian had changed his mind about staying in prison. John says that if Cris wants to come forward about his identity, he will fight to get him out of prison. Natalie walks in on their conversation.

Back in Statesville, Carlo Hesser has Cristian join him for a private dinner that he has arranged seemingly by paying off one of the guards. Cris comes armed with a sharp blade that he has fashioned in his cell from art materials, and he easily gets the jump on Hesser. Threatening to kill Carlo, he is stunned when Hesser begins to laugh maniacally and to praise Cristian for coming over to the dark side. Carlo insists that he can take the credit for turning Cris into a killer. When Cris falls to his knees with yet another excruciating headache, Hesser gets the upper hand and begins choking him, vowing that no one resigns from Carlo Hesser's employment!

10/10 At Statesville, Carlo triumphantly reminds Cristian that he is powerless to fight his programming. Battling the pain, Cris manages to fend Carlo off.

As the partially decomposed body of a woman is fished from Llantano Lake, John and Bo arrive to view the remains and investigate the drowning. John makes a further gruesome discovery: the body of the woman's unborn child, also in the water.

Natalie angrily confronts a bristling Evangeline, who denies that she's been working to reestablish her hold on John. Natalie hits the roof after discovering that Evangeline is representing "John Doe."

10/11 Back at the station, Bo receives the coroner's report, confirming that the woman was murdered. Rex waltzes into the office and announces that it's been three weeks since Margaret Cochran disappeared.

10/12 As John and Bo mull over the latest suspicious death in Llanview, they decide to take a field trip to the scene of the crime. Luck is with them as they return with an overlooked piece of evidence, not only covered with some blood but having the possibility of being the item that gave the victim splinters in her fingers. Denton overhears the latest at the police station on the possible evidence found and dashes off to tell Todd. Bo tells John that he doesn't want Natalie hurt, as he brings up the faux Cris. John confesses to always doing what is best for Nat, even if she doesn't believe it. Bo gets John to go home.

10/13 Natalie complains to John about his former flame working to set "John Doe" free on appeal. Natalie weeps to think that Cristian's "impostor" could soon be walking the streets again.

At Statesville, Cris tells Evangeline how close Carlo came to killing him. Evangeline fears her embattled client may not survive one more night behind bars.

10/14 Natalie and John are sharing a tender moment on the roof when Evangeline storms onto the scene. She demands to speak to John about their case, but Natalie is having none of it. She insists that she be let in on the discussion, and points out that there are no open cases at the Llanview LPD that both of them would be involved in. John asks Nat to trust him, and she reluctantly leaves him alone with Van.

Evangeline makes her case to John, asking him to help her get Cristian released from Statesville. She believes that Carlo Hesser might have him killed before the night is over. John says that even if Hesser was brain washing Cristian, they have no evidence to offer the warden. Evangeline accuses John of wanting to keep Cris in jail so that he can have Natalie to himself. John finally agrees to help Van when she produces the piece of paper that has one of Hesser's mind control triggers written on it.

In Statesville, Evangeline's concerns prove correct as Carlo Hesser bribes a guard to bring Cristian's life to an end. The guard presents Cristian with a brand new cell mate, a burly guy named Hatchet. The guard implies that Hatchet will kill Cristian and that the guard will make it look like a suicide. Cristian uses his strength to fight back, but the guard and Hatchet manage to subdue him and push him onto the cell floor. The guard then produces an ominous looking piece of rope ... is Cristian doomed?

Natalie heads back to Llanfair, where Viki has just lost a call from Antonio. Viki informs Natalie that Antonio has found Jessica and is bringing her home, but that the phone went dead before she could get any other information. Natalie tells her mother how much she misses Jess. Viki can sense that something else is wrong, and Natalie opens up about her concerns regarding Evangeline. Viki offers comfort and support.

10/17 At Statesville, Kratz overpowers Cristian and strings him up in his cell. Prodded by Evangeline, John places an urgent call to the prison warden. Later, the warden and a guard find Cris hanging in a noose and hurry to cut him down. Warden Stevens reports to John on Cris' apparent suicide attempt. Natalie tells John she no longer cares about Evangeline and "John Doe."

10/20 At Statesville, Cris bitterly accuses John of trying to cover his own tracks now that the truth is about to come out. Though John offers to have him transferred to another prison, Cris reminds the detective why he needs to stay put. His only way of resolving this is to get info on Carlo. Cris accuses John of keeping the secret from Natalie as the minute she finds out, John will lose her. John says if Cris really believes that then John will tell her today!

10/21 Natalie is livid that John and Evangeline are continuing to help the "John Doe" get out of prison. Van tries to have extra security put on Cristian. Natalie abruptly leaves John at the station to run an errand, and Van uses the opportunity to hash things out with John. She tells her ex that if they don't get Cristian out of Statesville immediately, that they will both have his death on their conscience. Meanwhile, Cristian is led to the visiting room by a guard: imagine his surprise when he realizes that the visitor is none other than his wife, Natalie!

10/24 At Statesville, Natalie accuses "John Doe" of causing pain to everyone who loved Cristian. Unaware that she's face to face with her husband, Natalie bitterly declares that he's nothing like Cris. Natalie tearfully begs "John Doe" to drop his appeal. John has another conversation with his late father as he mulls over a dilemma.

10/26 Though Natalie encourages her mother to open up, Viki decides not to reveal Jessica's problem just yet. Later, Natalie admits to Viki how upset she's been about Evangeline representing "John Doe" for his pending appeal.

10/27 Natalie told John she visited John Doe in prison. John urged Natalie to not visit him ever again. Later, Kevin called Natalie to tell her that Jessica's been hospitalized. Shortly after Natalie arrived, Antonio and Nash came back into the hospital yelling. Natalie was stunned to hear Nash say that he was dating "Tess."

Bo and John took Todd into a room for interrogation and told him that a DNA test showed that the bodies found at the lake were Margaret's and her 31-week-old fetus. They presented Todd with a sketch of the suspect and pointed out how much it looks like him. They warned Todd that he better hope his blood doesn't turn up on the murder weapon. Todd was confused about the mention of a murder weapon and said he thought that the dead woman had drowned. Bo said that they're still investigating the cause of death. Todd grew frustrated and asked the cops to show him evidence they have against him. When they couldn't produce any, he got up to leave.

As he walked out, John and Bo pointed out that given the age of the fetus, Margaret conceived at exactly the time when she held him captive in the cabin. "Did you have sex with Margaret, Manning?" Bo asked. Todd told them both to go to hell. After Todd left, the cops both agreed he was guilty. Then, another cop delivered a DNA match on the murder weapon. Bo had John run after Todd to bring him back in. Denton, who was snooping around outside the interrogation room, called Todd on his cell phone so he could warn him the cops were coming after him.

10/31 Todd returns to the police station with Blair to give Bo and John his alibi for the night Margaret died.

11/1 Natalie and Evangeline have a run in at Rodi's, during which Nat tells Van that she went to see John Doe in prison. Evangeline demands to know what they talked about, and Natalie tells her that John Doe agreed to drop his appeal. Van tells Nat that she just signed Doe's death warrant. Natalie is puzzled and still can't figure out why Van is trying to help the Faux Cristian. Van tells her that one day Natalie will thank her for what she's doing.

A puzzled Natalie goes to meet John at the station and tells him about Evangeline's cryptic comment.

Meanwhile, in Statesville, Carlo Hesser threatens Cristian once again. Cris discovers a note in a book that indicates that some of the prisoners are preparing to break out of jail. He takes a chance by revealing this information to one of the guards, but it immediately becomes apparent that that particular guard is on Hesser's payroll.

11/3 John had a nightmare of running into Cristian with Natalie and Natalie screaming, "You knew and you didn't tell me!" Natalie told John that she had had a bad dream about Niki Smith. Natalie clued John into the whole DID situation involving Jessica. John assured her it was just a dream; it was over now. Natalie said she knew John would never keep anything important from her. "Bad stuff doesn't come between us," Natalie said. John then remembered his bad dream again.

Natalie got a call about the car crash involving Jessica and Antonio and made plans to head to the hospital but then said, "I can't do this, I can't see her." She eventually went to visit Jessica, but as she was asleep she just caught up with Viki. (This was offscreen.) Natalie did share with John that Jessica was pregnant and no one knew who the father was. When they came back to John's house Natalie told John she loved him. He didn't reciprocate but did give her a big kiss and ignored his ringing cell phone (it was Evangeline frantically worried about what was happening in Statesville).

Meanwhile, Cristian demanded to make a phone call. The guard said no, then gave the painting of Natalie to Carlo. Carlo made sure Cristian understood that he (Carlo) ran the prison and gave him a book called The Greatest Escape. Cristian opened the book and saw the pills (presumably to commit suicide) inside. Carlo said it might be better for Cristian to end it all. Carlo set the painting on fire.

11/7 Natalie showed up at Llanfair where Antonio and Nash were waiting just outside Jessica's hypnotism session. Natalie told Nash to leave, but he refused. After the session, Natalie took Jessica upstairs for some rest.

11/8 Carlo Hesser lets Cristian know that he's not happy that Cris is running his mouth about the rumored prison break. Cristian insists that Carlo can't buy off everybody, but Hesser insists that he has indeed bought off everybody who matters. Cris suddenly spots Hayes Barber working the library cart, and he goes over to talk with him. Once he ascertains that Barber is not on Hesser's payroll, Cristian demands information about Carlo's plans. Hayes wants to know why he should help Cristian after Cris beat him to a pulp. Cris threatens to beat him up again if he doesn't come clean, so Barber agrees to dish up information on the notorious crime lord.

Meanwhile, John tries desperately to get an appointment with the warden and put extra security on Cristian. He seeks comfort in a church, where he has memories of his father. The priest asks John what is on his mind, and John says that he has kept a secret from someone important. Unable to deal with the stress any longer, John goes straight to the station and comes clean with Bo about Cristian's real identity!

Hugh taunts Evangeline about taking on Mannings' case, but Natalie is grateful on behalf of Viki. Nat asks Van if this means she is dropping John Doe's case? Van insists that she is going through with that. She once again tells Natalie that she is doing her a favor, and Nat cannot understand these cryptic comments.

11/9 Bo hears John's confession that John Doe is really Cristian Vega and that he promised not to tell anyone which is why he didn't. Bo is perturbed that John didn't trust him and now feels that he will be unable to trust John. Bo hears the entire story, from the DNA sample divulging the truth to the fact that Cris threatened to kill himself if anyone knew the truth. John brings Bo up to the present situation that Carlo is trying to have Cris killed after being behind the brain washing. John wanted Cris in solitary for protection but the warden is away and he can't get in touch with the assistant warden. Bo jumps on the phone but has the same difficulty as John. Cristian is unable to get any facts out of Hayes Barber but a man called Angus gives him a note stating that he has information.

Dvd #11B Hayes proceeds to tell Cris that the prison will be dark tomorrow and that someone will be cutting the power off. He will be getting out of the prison which is why he's passing this on. They are interrupted by Carlo, taunting Cris with the fact that now he has the information but nowhere to go with it. How would he know which guards are on his payroll? Hayes sucker punches Cris from behind as Carlo threatens him; if Cris interferes he won't live past tomorrow. Cris, in pain, tries unsuccessfully to make a phone call. He informs Angus that he has orders for him.

Bo and John agree that Cris has to be protected. John feels that he owes both Cris and Natalie.

11/10 John told Bo he's heading to the prison in the morning to talk to the warden about how to deal with Carlo. Bo tried to talk John into telling Natalie the truth about Cristian. He compared the situation to what happened between himself and Nora because of his keeping a secret about Daniel.

Natalie talked to Jessica about her baby. Jessica said she's having the child regardless of how Tess fits in. Natalie asked her if she'd feel that way if she found out Nash was the father. Jessica said that by the time she has the baby she'll be well and better able to deal with everything. Jess said that now, however, she has to keep her guard up all the time or Tess would come out again. She told Natalie how Tess almost had the pregnancy aborted. Natalie told her to go back to sleep and that she'd watch out for her. As she walked out of Jess's bedroom, she opened the door to find Nash on the other side. She berated him for hovering over Jessica.

Cristian (looking more haggard by the day) got Angus to agree to get a note to Bo when he's released the next day.

Natalie went to John's apartment to clear her head. She sensed something was bothering John and asked him what it was. Instead of answering he threw her on the bed and took off her clothes and made love to her.

11/11 The countdown to the Statesville prison break is underway. Carlo, Hayes, and one of the guards sit down to a game of cards as Cristian makes a desperate plea from his cell to talk to the Warden. He is denied a phone call by yet another corrupt guard, but he still has faith in Angus.

John has finally managed to meet with Warden Stephens. He explains that John Doe is really Cristian Vega and that he would like for him to wear a wire in order to incriminate Carlo Hesser. The Warden reluctantly agrees. As the two men talk in the Warden's office, one of the corrupt guards pulls the light switch, causing Statesville to go dark. The prisoners break out in a riot, running through the building and looting everywhere.

Meanwhile, Hayes has stolen a rifle and crawled through a chute, where he comes to a perch above the Warden's office. John and the Warden realize that they are in a state of emergency; the Warden pockets a gun, and the two men go out into the corridor. Hayes points his rifle at the Warden and shoots him.

With the hearing over, Bo leaves the courtroom and is approached by Angus. Angus hands the commissioner a note confirming the prison break. Bo makes an emergency call and orders every available LPD squad car to Statesville.

Natalie is concerned when John doesn't meet her for their dinner date. Michael stops by John's room to hang out with Natalie, and Roxy believes that he's there to hit on her step daughter. When Michael goes to the diner for food, Roxy tells Nat that Michael has the hots for her. Michael returns with food, and Natalie questions him about his feelings for her.

Michael can't believe that she thinks he's trying to make a pass at her, so he finally comes clean about the fact that he's still in love with Marcie. Natalie consoles him, and then she opens up to him about the strange feeling she has that things have changed between she and John. She tells Michael that the previous night when they made love, John acted like it was the last time they would ever be together. Little does Natalie know that John and Cristian are about to fight for their lives in the worst riot Statesville prison has ever known.

11/14 At Statesville, Carlo advises Cristian to sit back and enjoy the chaos which has erupted inside the prison. Meanwhile, Hayes gleefully draws a bead on John after killing the warden. John manages to buy some time by wounding Hayes but the serial killer continues his dogged pursuit. Secretly taking orders from Carlo, Haskell runs interference on an unwitting Bo when the police commissioner attempts to locate his chief of detectives among the rioting prisoners. Cristian is forced to fend off Hayes, then comes face to face with John.

11/15 Natalie shows up at Roxy's hotel looking for John, only to find Evangeline coming downstairs from his room. Natalie rips into Evangeline for spending so much time with John and also declares that she understands why Van doesn't have boyfriend! Evangeline retaliates by saying that she'd rather not be in a relationship than be in one that is one-sided.

The ladies' argument is interrupted when a news brief comes over the radio, informing them of the Statesville prison break. Natalie becomes worried when she can't reach John on his cell phone, and Van tells her that the last time she saw John was at Todd's arraignment, when he was talking privately with Bo. Frantic, Natalie decides to take off for Statesville. "Are you coming?" she hollers at Evangeline, and the two of them run out the door together.

Inside the prison, John and Cristian lock themselves inside the Warden's office. Cris demands to know why John is at Statesville, and McBain informs him that he came to get Cristian out. He also reveals his plan for Cris to wear the wire in order to incriminate Hesser. Cristian says that it's too late for that plan to work, but John tells him that he heard Hesser in the corridor earlier in the evening; obviously, Hesser hasn't freed himself yet.

Meanwhile, Carlo and a couple of the inmates have taken one of the good guards hostage. Bo and his men try to break into the prison, but they are held off by gun fire from the inmates. Bo manages to get hold of Hesser on the radio, while he and his men are waiting for backup from the Feds. Carlo threatens to kill one hostage every hour until Bo agrees to make a deal with him. Bo refuses, but when Carlo puts one of the guards on the radio, Bo realizes just what a dire situation he is in. He agrees to hear Carlo out, much to Hesser's satisfaction.

Hayes is still on a mission to kill Cristian. Cris wants to leave the safety of the Warden's office, but John throws him up against the wall and tells him that that would be the equivalent of suicide. Cristian pretends to agree with McBain, but then presents him with a quick punch to the face. As John lies stunned on the floor, Cris lets himself out into the empty prison corridor!

11/16 John tries to prevent Cristian from leaving the warden's office without success and while Cris makes it out, John runs into Hayes the hunter, with gun in hand. The men end up in a tussle for the gun with John winning out. He ties Hayes up and takes off in search of Cris.

In the meantime, Evangeline and Natalie show up and learn that John is inside. The guard on Carlo's payroll, Williamson, tries to prevent them from coming close. Nat blames the lawyer for John's predicament due to her defending of John Doe. Natalie wishes for a painful death for the man, though Evangeline is quick to point out that Nat has no idea of who the man is. Nat lets Evangeline have it, citing the fact that the man stole Cris' life and face. She loves John like she loved Cris and she's being forced to go through the same hell again.

While that's going on, Cris finds his way to Carlo Hesser who has made the first of his demands to Bo; that Renee, the love of his life, be brought to him. He's in jail for a crime that Asa committed after all so he's entitled. While Carlo makes his threats and Bo responds, Cris manages to turn the tables, attack the armed prisoner with Carlo and get his weapon. Cris now has control and grabs Carlo, forcing him to the front of the prison. John has arrived but is not able to get into a spot to help out.

As Bo tries to get the women to leave, they can see the men coming forward, though unable to tell who it is. Cris wants Carlo to make it known to the world what he did to Cris before he'll give up his hold. A noisy commotion ensues with all of the yelling among Williamson, Bo, Cris and Carlo, the women, and others standing around. Williamson wants to shoot as Bo warns him not to. Realizing who it is behind Carlo, Evangeline shrieks Cristian's name. A bewildered Natalie can only look at her, as the lawyer is forced to divulge the truth. Shots ring out, followed by screams.

11/17 As Natalie screams in horror, John drags the wounded Cristian out of the line of fire. Natalie demands an explanation from Evangeline and is stunned when the attorney reveals how Cristian hid his true identity in order to spare his wife any further pain. Evangeline inadvertently lets it slip to a shocked Natalie that John knew the truth about "Prisoner Doe" from the very start. Carlo releases Hayes and orders him not to screw up again in his mission to kill Detective McBain. Bo clashes with Haskell as the FBI arrives to take charge of putting down the Statesville riot.

11/18 1At Statesville, the prisoners continue to hold control over the prison. Carlo Hesser and Hayes taunt Bo over the radio, with Hesser demanding a helicopter and one million dollars in order to spare John's life. The Feds arrive on the scene, and Bo persuades them to strip Haskell of his authority. The Feds don't want to cave in to Carlo's demands, but Bo believes that Hesser really does have John in captivity.

Meanwhile in the stairwell, John stitches together Cristian's wound and tells him to hang on. Cris says that if he dies, John will have easy access to Natalie.

Outside the prison walls, Natalie rips into Evangeline for keeping Cristian's identity a secret. Van tries to defend herself, but Natalie is unstoppable in her anger. She goes so far as to accuse Van of using Cris's identity as a tool to break up she and John. Finally, Evangeline spills the shocking revelation that John has known about Cristian's true identity since the day the verdict was handed down. Will Natalie ever be able to forgive McBain?

11/21 Evangeline explains to Natalie how Cris' hopes of reuniting with his beloved wife drove him to finally file an appeal. Natalie accuses Evangeline of taking Cris' case in order to further her own dreams of reconciling with John. Natalie admits to Evangeline how conflicted she feels about the two men in her life now that she knows how they both lied to her for months on end.

Inside the embattled prison, John struggles to perform CPR on Cristian after he stops breathing. After Cris comes to, John contemplates moving his wounded companion to a safer location. Bo interrogates one of Carlo's hired goons. Bo argues with the head FBI agent about the best way to defuse the riot and capture Carlo before he kills his hostages.

11/22 Natalie explains to an astonished Rex how she's just learned that her husband is alive and John knew all about it. Niki makes her way to Foxy Roxy's and hides from Natalie.

Inside the stairwell at the penitentiary, Cris and John assess their dwindling options. John and Cristian agree not to stand in each other's way once Natalie makes her choice between them.

11/28 At Rodi's, Evangeline explains to Michael how his brother and the real Cristian Vega became trapped in the violence at the prison. Fearing for John's life, Michael comforts an equally frightened Natalie.

Meanwhile, Carlo issues new orders to his eager cohorts. John and Cris are cornered by two prisoners. Cris' quick thinking saves John from certain death.

After Rex is caught trying to sneak into the cellblock, Bo makes it clear to the young man how deeply he cares about his welfare. Outside the walls, Rex realizes that Haskell may be secretly working for Carlo while Bo argues with the head FBI agent about their next move. Bo decides to make a solo attempt to rescue his detective. Rex trails Bo into the exercise yard and watches in horror as the commissioner takes a bullet to the neck.

11/29 Rex is at Bo's side as he lies bleeding in front of Statesville. Rex refuses to leave the Commissioner until they get to the hospital.

Clint and Antonio are on the hunt for Tess and Niki Smith. They run into Natalie outside of Rodi's, and Clint is immediately concerned that Natalie has encountered Niki. Natalie hasn't seen Jessica or Viki, and she is stunned when her father informs her that Niki Smith is out, and possibly Tess, too. Natalie has gone through so much over the last 24 hours that she is hardly able to absorb this news.

Clint takes her inside Rodi's, and Natalie lets her father in on the truth about Cristian's real identity. Clint comforts Natalie, telling her that Cristian must have thought he was doing right by her. He admits that Cris should never have lied, and Natalie tells him that he wasn't the only one; John has also known about Cris for months! Antonio overhears this last part and demands to know what John knew about his brother. Natalie covers, then she, Clint, and Antonio take off in search of Viki and Jessica.

Niki says that she will accept blame for a lot of things, but not for Tess's existence. Tess tries to walk away from Niki, but Jessica makes a valiant effort to come out so that they can get to the truth about what happened all those years ago. As Jessica and Tess fight for control, Nash runs to the side of the woman he loves just as Clint, Antonio, and Natalie arrive on the scene.

Inside the prison walls, Cristian and John are still trapped in the stairwell. Suddenly, Hesser's voice comes over the intercom, thanking everybody for their loyalty. Hesser also reveals that he is aware that a transmitter was planted in the briefcase. Hesser has a new demand: he wants a hostage. Hayes is foaming at the mouth with excitement as Hesser sends him to finish off John and Cristian once and for all. But Hayes has no idea who Hesser has in mind as his hostage.

Cristian has had it with waiting, and he abandons John in the stairwell. At the same time, two inmates join Hesser to hunt down McBain once and for all. While John waits like a hunted animal, Cristian manages to come up behind Hayes and steal his weapon. Will the good guys escape unharmed?

11/30 Natalie gets her guard to drive her to Statesville; she wants answers. She asks for Bo and learns of his shooting, while the guard tells her that most likely, John and Cris are dead. She asks him about his shooting of the prisoner and the guard shrugs. Why would she care, she's with the cop, he says.

Inside, Cris has the gun and the advantage over Hayes while Carlo and his cronies encounter John with a hostage. Since Carlo could care less about the man in custody, he orders his men to take John, which they do. Now the tables are turned but John manages to save himself, temporarily, while reminding Hesser that he's his bargaining chip.

Yes, but once he gets what he wants, John is dead, he offers back. John also manages to get Carlo to admit to controlling Cris to kill Tico though unfortunately, Antonio was to be murdered also. Carlo wished to take over the Santi empire and he was betrayed by Antonio so it was all payback. There's a mic hidden under the steps and the confession is either being recorded or heard elsewhere. Carlo demands safe passage or John is dead. Hayes tries to negotiate with Cris while enraging him at the same time with his comments about Natalie. Finally, he takes him by surprise, the men wrestle and the gun goes off.

12/1 The violence continued at Statesville. John escaped from Carlo's clutches and ran into (literally) Cristian who had left Hayes for dead. But Hayes wasn't quite dead when Cris left; in fact he managed to drag himself to the airshaft and set the bomb to go off when Cristian would return. That last act before dying worked. Cristian did trip the wire and a bomb went off, which left Cristian covered in dust and John pinned under lots of cement wall. John urged Cristian to leave while he could. Though unwilling at first, Cris left with the tape of Carlo's confession.

Natalie kept getting in the way at Statesville but then got a message from Rex explaining that Warden Haskell was on Carlo's side. Unfortunately that very warden was watching her when she got the message and he wasn't about to let her out of his sight. Natalie tried to get away, but Haskell said, as he stuck his gun in her side, "Congratulations, Mrs. Vega, you've just graduated from civilian to hostage."

12/2 Haskell drags Natalie into the depths of the prison, where Carlo is relieved to see that he has a hostage to help aid his quick escape. Meanwhile, John fights to free himself from the debris from the roof cave in, but his strength is running out. Two inmates come upon John and attempt to kill him, but Cristian appears on the scene in time to knock them out and free John from the wreckage.

The two men are on their way to the sewer to escape when Carlo comes over the prison intercom to announce that Natalie Vega is his hostage. Cristian and John make a last minute change of plans and head towards the common area where they know Hesser is holed up. They manage to overcome Haskell, but then Carlo appears with a gun to Natalie's head.

He forces McBain and Vega to hand their one weapon over to Haskell, and then Natalie tells the men that Hesser only has one bullet. Natalie and Cristian share a meaningful glance, each of them overcome to finally be in the face of their true love. Hesser says that he needs Natalie in order to ensure his escape, but that his remaining bullet needs to be put to good use. He forces Natalie to choose who he should shoot: John or Cristian.

12/5 Carlo orders Natalie to select the suitor who will survive. Unwilling to choose life or death for John and Cristian, Natalie tells Carlo to shoot her instead. Cris and John manage to overpower Haskell and Carlo and bring the impasse to an end at last. Michael and Evangeline are relieved to see John and the others finally emerge from the cellblock. Afterwards, Natalie bitterly informs Cristian and John she hates them both.

12/6 At the hospital, Michael checks John out. When Michael walks out of his room, Natalie bemoans to Michael the mess that John and Cristian's terrible lie has left behind.

12/8 Michael tries to cheer up and take care of John. John bemoans that he wishes he could live the past year over again, obviously regretting choices he had made. Evangeline tells Antonio that his brother is alive! Antonio is stunned. Evangeline tells him that John has known for a few months.

Clint consoles an unhappy Natalie. She tells him about going back to Statesville, being taken hostage, and that she thought they were all going to die in there.

John is reeling about withholding the truth from Natalie. He tells Michael that if Natalie never looks at him again that he wouldn’t blame her. Michael defends his brother’s choices, that he was only doing what Cris asked him too.