Curlyqgrl's John & Natalie #13

John & Natalie #14 May 5 - August 14, 2006: 8 hour original edit

Dvd #14A 5/5 Back at St. Jude's, Michael and Marcie share tender, heartfelt wedding vows just before the storm causes the electricity to go out. Marcie starts to panic, but Michael immediately comforts her by saying that Irish tradition calls for a happy marriage in the wake of a storm. The guests light candles, and the two of them are pronounced husband and wife by candlelight. Meanwhile, Natalie tells Christian the secret of David Vickers's dirty deed.

In the wake of the ceremony, John wants to know why Evangeline and Natalie walked out right before the vows. They are forced to tell him the truth: that David Vickers killed his brother. "I'm going to kill him," John shouts, and begins to storm out of the church. At this point, John, Cristian, Natalie and Evangeline are the only people left in the main part of the church.

Suddenly, John stops and looks around, realizing that the tornado is about to hit in full force. The other three seem to sense danger at the same time, just as John screams "Everybody get down!" The whole side wall of the church explodes as the tornado slams into Llanview. Church pews fly everywhere, and part of the roof caves in. Evangeline is attacked by glass from a broken window, which she tries to keep out of her face to no avail.

5/8 John is the first to regain consciousness in the blown down church. He calls out to Natalie, Cristian, and Evangeline to make sure that everyone is okay. Digging in the rubble, he finds a badly injured and unconscious Natalie while Cris finds an injured Evangeline lying in another pile of rubble. John tries to keep Natalie calm while he tries to stop the bleeding on her injured leg. After cleaning the glass out of Natalie's wound and applying pressure, he promises not to leave her until help arrives. He then gives her a kiss to help keep her conscious.

5/9 John does his best to keep Nat awake, starting off with a kiss. He admits that they should be together and he'll come through this time. Michael is on duty at the hospital and is there to give orders all around. He's there to receive Evangeline and Natalie and get them into rooms. Natalie has lost a lot of blood but she'll be ok. John tells her that she was right all along.

5/10 At the hospital, Natalie asks John if he meant what he said that the two of them could be partners while working on John's case. He tells her that if it's the only way he can keep her safe then they will work together as partners. Natalie wants to know how John plans to deal with David now that he knows the truth. John says that all he wants is justice for his father but Natalie knows that he wants much more. Natalie is afraid that John is going to shut down again despite his pledge to her.

John comes in to check on Evangeline and tells her that he feels that if she hadn't stayed behind to tell him about Vickers then she would not have gotten hurt. Evangeline tells him that it's not his fault and can sense how John is feeling about the situation even without being able to see his face. After visiting with Evangeline, John bumps into Michael in the hallway and almost tells him what he discovered but chooses not to when Michael goes on and on about how great Spencer is. He overhears Spencer talking to Denton on the phone to the good doctor's chagrin. John asks Natalie, Cris, and Evangeline to keep the news to themselves until he has a chance to find David, whom he later discovers is in Thailand.

5/11 John insists that Natalie stay in bed. The two share a tender moment, but then John informs Nat that he is going to Thailand to find David. Natalie worries what John will do once he finds him. John answers that he will probably end up beating David until he tells him the details behind the shooting. Natalie tells him that if he goes, she won't be waiting for him when he comes back. She begs him to have David extradited, and bring him down through the system. John refuses, saying it is something he has to do. Later, John books a flight for the next day, and contacts someone for a concealable weapon.

5/12 As John packs his bag for a trip out of town, Bo realizes that his number one detective has finally discovered who killed his father. Knowing that he won't be able to talk John out of doing whatever he's planning to do, Bo takes a more subtle tact, reminding John of all that he's accomplished with Dr. Crosby and of the dangers of acting irrationally. John maintains that he is simply going after justice. He refuses to divulge the specific information regarding who killed his father, or even whether or not he has to go out of the country to find the person. Bo does insist that John leave his weapon behind, and he reminds John that he's there for him; John can call him if he feels like he is about to make a decision that will change his life forever. John makes one request of Bo: that he check in on Natalie. Bo says that he would have done that anyway. John leaves a message for Natalie on her cell phone, then takes off for the airport.

Natalie has made up her own mind as to what she's going to do to help John. She has a bedside chat with Michael about the state of her health, but she has no intention of "taking it easy." Viki also makes a visit to Natalie's bedside in order to fill her in on Duke, Kelly, and Antonio's injuries. After Viki leaves, Natalie sneaks out of the hospital. We see John on the airplane, ready to take off for Thailand, when suddenly a voice says, "Is this seat taken?" It's Natalie, having staggered onto the plane with her crutches in order to go to Thailand with John!

5/15 John was furious when he discovered that Natalie was accompanying him to Bangkok. She told John that she was there to make sure that John didn't throw his life away by seeking revenge on David. John told Natalie that he didn't need to be saved, but she was determined to make sure that he and David both made it back to Llanview alive. John started to tell her that if anything happened to her because of him but Natalie stopped him by telling him that nothing would happen because he would be there to protect her. John told Natalie that she was on her own when they landed because she would only slow him down in his pursuit of David. John began to remember all the encounters that he'd had with David, smirking at how David had asked John to spot him at the gym one day. John wished that he had known then what he had since learned because things would have turned out differently that day.

5/17 John and Natalie arrived in Thailand. John immediately picked up the gun that he had made arrangements for. He was ready to search for David, no matter what the time was. Natalie was upset when she spotted the gun case. She pleaded with John not to ruin his life, telling him that she wanted him in her future. She was there to watch over him and keep control, she explained. She was also proud of him for not giving up. John admitted that he just needed to bring David to justice, but he couldn't worry about her being there even if she was worried about him. She demanded that he return to her. She also wanted him to watch his back. He went out but returned a little while later, after Natalie had fallen asleep. He had learned of David's whereabouts. He had found people who had seen David with a white woman. He wouldn't wait until morning. Suddenly, as John headed out again, he spotted Denton on a closing elevator.

5/18 John sped after Denton through the lobby of the Bangkok hotel. John roughly ordered Denton to talk, but Natalie intervened to prevent him from going over the edge. Natalie told John she believed he'd do the right thing when the moment arrived. Spencer phoned David to warn him that John was hot on his trail.

5/19 In Thailand, Natalie showed David's picture to the same café waiter who had led David to Margaret. The waiter lied to Natalie, telling her that he had never seen David. At the same time, John busted into David's room and started beating him up. John said he knew David had killed his father, but David denied any wrongdoing, which made John angrier, and he pointed his gun at David.

During the confrontation between David and John, a frantic Margaret snuck out the window of the adjoining room into the rainy night, while Denton popped out of the shadows to shoot David. John shot Denton and then demanded to know what he wanted with David. David said that he would explain, if John would just put down his weapon. John finally did so, and David stammered that he knew something that would change everybody's life forever: Margaret Cochran was still alive, and that that was why Spencer had hired Denton to kill David. John was hesitant to believe it, but David forged on with the truth. A soaking-wet Margaret popped into the café, where a shocked Natalie laid eyes on her.

5/22 David tells a skeptical John that Margaret is alive and was hiding in the closet up until the moment John arrived. John wants to know where she is but David says that she must have escaped out the window during all the commotion. John is ready to escort David out of Margaret's room when David inquires about Denton's body. John tells him that the local authorities will find it soon and whatever happened there stays there.

Natalie spots Margaret in the lobby of the hotel she is staying in. She calls out to Margaret and hobbles after her but Margaret knocks down a cart while running scared preventing Natalie from being able to pursue her. When John brings David back to the hotel, a relieved Natalie tells John how she saw Margaret alive and that he needs to go after her. John is hesitant but Natalie reminds him that Todd doesn't deserve to die if Margaret is alive and well. She persuades him to leave David with her so that he can find Margaret before it's too late.

5/23 John goes out to find Margaret leaving David handcuffed to a chair with Natalie in charge. David begs her to let him go since John will more than likely kill him when he returns. Natalie says that John is not a murderer even though he has finally come face to face with the man who killed his father but David isn't convinced. John returns with a lead on Margaret but it is in the form of encoded passages in her journal about a secret place that she likes to visit. Natalie turns out to be a math whiz and decodes some of the formulas revealing part of the location. John assures Natalie that he has no intentions of killing David but that he isn't going to let David know that. They find a map in David's jacket and piece together the park where Margaret likes to go to meditate. John finally comes face to face with Margaret at her secret place.

5/24 Natalie is understandably frantic when she is unable to use the phone due to the monsoon. People at home need to know that Margaret is alive. David mentions that she either has amnesia or was brainwashed because she doesn't remember anything. John locates Margaret and after some difficulty and resistance on her part, manages to get her back to the hotel. He figures they have less than 24 hours to save Todd. He and Nat make repeated attempts on their phones; there is no other form of communications that is in working order. He finally gets through to the prison on his last try to tries to reach the warden. John calls the prison where Todd is being held for Margeret’s murder, he pleads with the guard not to hang up. He states that the dead woman is still alive.

5/25 John and Natalie try to call Lehigh Prison to save Todd's life, but they can't get a connection. John asks the front desk to send a police officer to the room. He wants to explain the situation, and convince them to charter an emergency flight. The Thai authority remains unconvinced, however, and Natalie knocks him out with her crutch.

5/26 Somewhere over the ocean, John, Natalie, David and Margaret were on a plane flying under the radar (literally). John worried that they wouldn't make it in time. Natalie told Margaret and a napping David that they were heading directly to the prison to "save my uncle's life." Natalie assured John it wouldn't be his fault if they didn't make it there in time. "I don't want Manning's blood on my hands," he explained and then thanked her for being there for him. "You really came through for me." John added. The plane landed and David observed, "I hate to break it to you. But we've got company out there."

5/29 As the countdown to Todd's execution winds down, John, Natalie, David, and Margaret find themselves confronted by airport security since they came in on an unauthorized flight. John tries to explain to the security guard that he is a police officer and that he is transporting David and Margaret to the prison. The guard doesn't care who he is or who they are and places them under arrest until John wrestles the gun away from him.

The foursome take the security guard's patrol car and race to the prison hoping to get there in time enough to stop Todd's execution. When they encounter protestors, John takes the road to the prison's back door. He grabs Margaret and enters the prison where he is stopped by a guard right outside of the execution room. John tells them that they have to stop the execution because the victim is right there next to him. They all watch in silence as Todd is given the injections and stops breathing.

5/30 Blair, Viki, Evangeline, Spencer, Hugh, and Bo are stunned when John walks in to the execution viewing room with Margaret. John calls for them to stop the execution but it is too late as Todd has already flat-lined. The prison officials work frantically to try to revive Todd as Blair pleads for Spencer to go in and save Todd's life. Spencer is hesitant but eventually begins working on Todd. John follows Spencer to make sure that he doesn't try to kill Todd as Bo places David and Margaret under arrest.

Bo asks John how he went from going to Thailand to find his father's shooter to finding Margaret. John fills him on how he found out that David was the teen who killed his father and how finding David led to his finding Margaret. John wants to stick around while Bo interrogates Margaret and David but Bo tells him to take Natalie and go home since John is still pumped up on adrenaline. As a worried Blair and Viki look on, Spencer shocks Todd and gets a weak pulse but without the proper equipment he is unable to stabilize Todd.

Evangeline asks to speak to John alone as she is concerned that Spencer will do something to harm Todd now that Margaret has been found. John tells her that he is also concerned but that Spencer is not alone with Todd now and won't be alone with Todd in the MedEvac either. Evangeline still can't believe that Margaret is alive while John tells her that she was right all along even though she didn't know all the details. Evangeline is grateful to John and to Cristian who has been her eyes through this whole ordeal.

5/31 At Lehigh Prison, Margaret and David continue to be questioned on their various charges by Bo, Hugh and John, to no avail. Hugh explains the circumstances of the case to Margaret but the only thing she knows is her great life in Bangkok. Hugh even offers to make a deal with David but the information that he's looking for is not forthcoming. He and John even try the good cop/bad cop scenario but David wants to see a lawyer. John shows Hugh the picture of a young David along with the sketch and he agrees that David is the killer. Natalie agrees to go to the hospital with John so that he can tell Michael what they've learned. Margaret remembers working at B.E. Blair explains to Natalie that Spencer saved Todd but she has a question for her. Does Nat think that Spencer could be responsible for all that has happened to Todd?

6/1 Natalie tells Blair why she believes Spencer was at the root of Todd's troubles all along.

6/2 John and Natalie fall into bed together and make love.

6/5 Natalie is hopeful that John will be able to find some peace now that his father's murder has been solved. John asks her to have patience with him. They are interrupted by a call from Hugh asking John to meet him at the station. Natalie gives John a goodbye kiss in the hallway which is spied by Roxy who is worried about Natalie's renewed relationship with the man who always wears black. Roxy tries to warn Natalie that a tiger never changes its' spots but Natalie swears that John has changed now that he no longer has a burden to bear.

Hugh tells John that the DNA records associated with Margaret's autopsy have been signed out by from Todd's file by someone with an unreadable signature. John and Hugh are convinced that it was Spencer but without any proof, they can't do anything about it. Hugh does share with John that the man who gave over the files is on his way to Llanview to ID the "official" who signed out the information.

6/6 John awakes from a dream about his father's death to a concerned Natalie by his side. When Natalie inquires about the dream, John shuts down. They are interrupted by a visit Dorian who has stopped by to see how much evidence the police have against David. John remains tight lipped but discloses enough for Dorian to feel that they are holding David without sufficient evidence. John is suspicious about Dorian's true motive for visiting and asks her if David has confessed to her. Dorian tells John that David has not said a word and that she doesn't feel that David should have to spend the rest of his life in prison for something that happened when he was a stupid teenager. She begs John to take into consideration that the shooting of John's father has haunted David and prevented him from becoming the man he could have become because of his remorse. Natalie overhears Dorian and comes to John's aid saying that a man's life was taken and that David should pay since Michael and John have suffered as a result.

6/9 John confirmed to Margaret that the medical tests showed she had had a baby. Margaret wondered where her baby was. John told Margaret not to worry about Todd going after her. "Todd's in a bed. You are in protective custody." Margaret was relieved that she hadn't caused Evangeline's blindness (she couldn't help but noticed that she had caused many bad things in Llanview) and then had one of those memory flashes. John said they could help her find his baby but they needed something to go on.

Margaret burst into Todd's room, "What happened to our baby," she demanded. They called each other monsters and Margaret left. "John we need to talk," Todd said. "I owe you my life. I'm going to pay you back some day." Margaret left with her police escort. John let Todd know that Todd's obsession to find out the truth encouraged John to search for the truth regarding his father's killer.

6/12 After David's attorney warns him that he is looking at a minimum of twenty years behind bars, David is ready to play let's make deal with John. David offers to give John the goods on Spencer in exchange for him dropping the murder charge against David. John wants no part of a deal that has David going free but does say that the DA has offered to shave off a few years if David turns evidence on Spencer. John tells David that his window of opportunity is shrinking since they are also hopeful that Margaret will get her memory back.

6/13 Bo, John, and Hugh look at the document with Bo's signature showing that Bo was the person who signed off on the identification of Margaret. They all agree that the document must have been Spencer's back up just in case Todd was saved from execution. Unfortunately since the document is official, Hugh informs Bo that should it get out then it will appear that Bo railroaded Todd especially since Evangeline's argument was that the police didn't even consider any other suspects. Bo is prepared to turn in his badge and have John run the station should another piece of "evidence" turn up. He sends John to forensics with the phony document to see if they can determine what they are up against.

6/14 The van containing Margaret crashes; she is unconscious and stops breathing. The driver is killed but the aides survive and one of them begins CPR after calling for an ambulance. Bo and John await Margaret's return so that she can tell them all she has remembered about her past. Evangeline also shows up, along with Rex who is there to tell Bo about Adriana's stalker. When Rex mentions that he heard about the crash, the police officers take off for the scene of the accident while Evangeline heads to the hospital to see Todd. Bo also calls Blair to let her know of Margaret's returned memory and advises her not to say anything to Spencer. He promises to hear about Adriana's problem upon his return.

6/15 Margaret flatlined and Spencer could barely restrain his glee over that turn of events. Evangeline blamed Spencer for Margaret's death. Spencer laughed that off and Blair jumped to his defense. (Blair is pretending to be on Spencer's side.) Bo reminded everyone (John, Rex, Evangeline) that this was still an emergency room and they dispersed. Rex offered some comments and John asked, "Why are you still even here?"

Rex, John and Evangeline broke the news to Todd that Margaret didn't make it. "She's really dead," Evangeline said. Todd took a deep breath and asked the three to leave. Rex lingered and reminded him that "you wanted to see Truman burn, but it's not going to happen today. Sorry." Todd tried to get out of bed and managed to take a few steps. He undid the tubes and left his room.

John and Vincent showed up and said things about Cris and Evangeline. John and Vincent both knew who the other was. John wondered why Vincent was there. Vincent said he was there seeing some of their mutual friends, adding that he had some interest in Vega. He suggested he and John "become pals. You and I have a lot more in common." John wasn't interested.

6/16 John and others wondered who had sent Natalie those red roses. Natalie thanked John, who had to admit he hadn't sent the flowers. Natalie still thought he did. Natalie reported back on her great forensic class. John let Natalie in on the Bo frame-up. Clint and Viki were shocked to learn about Bo's situation. They had come by to pick up the Tess videotape. Clint, Viki and Natalie headed back to the house to be with Jessica. In the living room at Vicki’s, Jessica put the tape in the VCR. Bo, VIki and Natalie left.

Back at the police station, the morgue attendant from Kentucky arrived. Hugh asked him to ID the man who had identified the bodies in the morgue. Hugh showed him a photo of Spencer. The attendant pointed at Bo, much to the surprise of Hugh and John.

Claudia tried to file a complaint with John against the two thugs who accosted her in the airport. John didn't believe her. He had heard that the men had been sent to watch her. Claudia insisted he investigate it. John said she'd get into trouble for filing a false police report. Claudia stormed out.

6/19 When asked if the man in the picture (Spencer) is the person who signed for Margaret's and the baby's body at the morgue, the morgue attendant points to Bo as the man who signed for their bodies. Bo becomes angry and gets in the man's face demanding that he tell the truth but the morgue attendant sticks to his story. A frustrated Bo lashes out and pins the attendant against the wall but ends up releasing him after he threatens to sue Bo and the police department for police brutality. Hugh leads the attendant away while John tries to reassure Bo that no one will believe the man's statement. Bo is concerned about the bad publicity that the police department will receive once the press gets a hold of the evidence against him.

Hugh tells John that the morgue attendant signed his statement regarding Bo and the bodies but with no witnesses to back up his claim, it will be easier to throw doubt on his account of what happened. John asks Hugh if he is really planning on charging Bo. Hugh admits that although he doesn't want to, based on the attendant's statement and Bo's signature on the documents he may be forced to bring Bo in for questioning or worse John may have to arrest Bo.

Viki, Clint, and Natalie are on the patio anxiously waiting for Jessica to finish viewing the tape. Kevin just happens to stop by and is disappointed that the family didn't even bother calling him so that he could also support his sister during her crisis. To Viki's dismay, Antonio and Dr. Crosby join them on the patio and inform them that Jessica has decided to watch the video alone. Viki is concerned about the re-emergence of Tess but Dr. Crosby lets them all know that this is a battle that Jessica will have to fight on her own.

Dvd #14B 6/20 As John and Michael look on, David pleads not guilty to Thomas McBain's murder. Hugh wants bail denied since he considers David to be a flight risk since not only does he have access to money but he was also just captured in Thailand. The judge denies Hugh's request but sets the bail at $1 million dollars to David's dismay. Before David is escorted back to jail, John asks for ten minutes alone with David so that Michael can say his piece.

A gloomy John returns to his apartment. When a news flash of David's not guilty verdict plays over the radio, John takes a bat to it and smashes it to pieces. Natalie arrives after receiving John's text message. She spies the damaged radio and inquires as to what happened. John fills her in on David's not guilty plea which doesn't surprise Natalie. John tells Natalie that he has spent his whole life wanting justice for his father's murder and now that it has arrived he doesn't feel any better.

Jessica tells her family that even after watching parts of the video by herself, she still feels as if what happened in the video happened to someone else. Jessica is relieved that Tess has not resurfaced and feels that she is gone but Viki reminds her otherwise.

6/22 John, Natalie, Spencer, Dorian, and Blair end up at the same nightclub. Spencer invites Dorian to sit with him and Blair so that they can talk while Natalie and John keep a watchful eye on the situation. To everyone's surprise, David shows up after having just been released on bail. John and Natalie are angry that David is allowed to walk around free after committing murder.

Vince and Layla run into Natalie and John at the nightclub. When Vince pretends as though he doesn't know her, Natalie reveals to John that it was Vince who led them to David. Vince and John have a heated discussion about Vince's assistance with finding his father's killer as Layla and Natalie try to keep them from coming to blows. Unfortunately, Vince goes a little too far when he makes a comment about how John shouldn't send Natalie out to do his dirty anymore because someone might snatch her up right out from under him. John attacks Vince and warns him to stay away from him and especially from Natalie.

6/23 Natalie pulled John off of Vincent and they left together and went up to the roof. John was upset with himself for losing his temper. He again mentioned how he doesn't feel redemption even though now they have a suspect in his father's murder and will probably win a conviction. They decided to shut out their troubles, lie back on the roof and look up at the stars together. They dozed off and John had a dream about being in the execution chamber with David strapped to the chair, about to be put to death, telling him that he's got the wrong guy.

6/26 Natalie and John enjoy a no work breakfast together where they discuss Vince Jones. John tells Natalie to stay away from him to which she agrees. When Natalie asks if she can tag along with John for forensics experience he tells her no stating that business and pleasure should not be mixed. They are interrupted by a call on Natalie's cell phone. It is Vince Jones demanding that she meet him at the café in Angel Square as soon as possible otherwise he will have to go to John to arrange a meeting. Natalie agrees and then lies to a skeptical John about where she is headed. When she arrives, Vince tells her that he has found a way that she can pay him back for helping her identify Tom's killer. John heads over to the station where Bo informs him that someone recently overheard David confess to killing his father.

6/27 John presses Bo to tell him who overhead David's confession but Bo refuses for fear that the informant's safety will be compromised if their identity is revealed. John is furious claiming that he has a right to know. Bo agrees which is why he told him the information in hopes that he will be able to use it to find more evidence against David. Bo asks John if bringing David to justice is more important to him than bringing Spencer down. When John remains silent Bo tells him that he thought so and asks John to trust that any information that he receives, he will pass it along to him. John tells Bo that he trusts him but just can't stand it when someone he cares about lies to him.

Natalie meets with Vince at the diner who claims that he wants some information regarding forensics. Natalie can't believe that he interrupted her time with John in order to ask about her field and advises him to take a class if he wants to learn more. When Vince asks her out on a date, Natalie reminds him that she is with John. Vince wants to know if she told John about their meeting. Natalie didn't tell John because Vince advised her against it. Vince feels that since she has already lied to John she can do it again to meet him for a platonic dinner meeting. When Natalie refuses, Vince tells her that soon she will be the one to seek him out. At the station, Natalie reveals to John that she lied when she told him she was going to meet her lab partner. She went to meet Vincent instead. A furious John threatens to end the relationship should she ever lie to him again.

6/29 Natalie gives John a possible lead on how to prove Bo's innocence.

6/30 Todd welcomed all his guests to his "thank you for my life" party at the Country Club, predicting a night no one would ever forget. He told his big sis Viki not to worry, that this was just a thank you party, that's all. He then thanked each guest, one by one. To Viki, "You must have gotten all the good genes." Starr: "You are the toughest nut in the room. You are the only person who never questioned if I was innocent or not." Todd offered to help David prove he (David) was innocent. Todd said they probably both hated Spencer equally. Spencer and Blair arrived.

Viki turned to Natalie and said, "Now this is beginning to make sense." Todd made a public thank you to Evangeline. "You have more heart than any lawyer has had. You are a good person." Evangeline assured him that he didn't have to do this. "I know how you feel," she said. Todd got a dig at (though backhandedly) to Blair as he went on and on about Evangeline, saying she never abandoned him. Todd turned the focus to "my former wife and her illustrious boyfriend Dr. Love." Viki tried to stop Todd from going on. Todd awarded Blair to Spencer, "as a consolation prize," but he couldn't have the rest of his life or his family.

Natalie begged David to admit to shooting John's father.

7/4 David stops his confession when Natalie appears but John tells him that anything he has to say he can say it in front of Natalie. David informs Natalie that he has just told John that he was the one who shot his father. Natalie wonders if that means that David is going to change his plea but David evades the question. John wants to know every detail of the night his father died and David agrees to answer his questions but not in a public place where everyone knows them. John tells David to meet him at his place in one hour. David agrees but as he is leaving, he is stopped by a furious Spencer who warns him that he better not say anything to John or Michael about their father.

7/5 Michael receives a call from John and heads for his place. The events of the tragic evening in question are recounted to John, Michael and Nat. David mentions his own father and how he was carrying on his inherited illegal activities. He was making collections when McBain tried to stop him. David emphatically denies remembering anything after the shooting and has been on the run ever since. John asks him to change his plea to guilty but David states in no uncertain terms that he will deny their entire conversation, regardless of the fact that three people heard it. He will not go back to jail. John tries to persuade him to ease his soul and suggests he meet him at the courthouse. Michael is upset and wants to be with Marcie. John knows the admission is inadmissible but at least he now knows exactly what happened. He has a feeling though, that there's more. Nat and John put their thoughts on John's dad aside for the night.

7/7 David has a change of heart and heads to the courthouse, where he pleads guilty to Tom McBain's murder.

7/10 David changes his plea to guilty in front of Michael, John, Natalie, and Marcie. When the judge decides to release David on bail, Natalie voices her opinion. She tells the judge that if David is released then he will change his mind about his guilty plea and flee the country. The judge warns Natalie about her outburst and then fines her when she continues on. David tells the judge that he doesn't want to be released and as he is taken back to jail, Marcie thanks him for changing his plea.

John is still not convinced that he has the full story. Natalie accuses him of not wanting to let it go and John storms off on his own telling Natalie that they are not partners on his father's case. He ends up in Atlantic City trying to piece together the details of his father's shooting. Natalie locates him through GPS and goes off after him.

7/11 Natalie finds John in the alley in Atlantic City where David shot his father. John tells Natalie that he always wondered what his father's last moments were like and what his last words were. He tells Natalie that hearing David's story of how Thomas wanted to get back to his two boys that night only reinforces the kind of man John knew his father was. Natalie tells him that he should feel comforted now but John still isn't convinced that he knows everything about that night. He begins to re-enact those final moments and wonders what happened to the gun that David used. They search for the gun but come up empty.

7/12 At the Palace, John admits he still doesn't buy David's story of the single shot. Todd broaches him on trying to find his baby in Thailand, though Nat accuses him of wanting to merely flaunt it in front of Blair. Blair claims to see a future with Spencer more clearly and gets him to run to the car for her wrap so that she has time to drug his drink. They toast and head upstairs. Clint finds Kelly sitting alone and scares her when he tells her he knows what's wrong. He's talking about the emptiness he sees in her eyes and suggests she talk to someone about the accident and Duke's death. Not finding that feasible, she gets up to leave, but faints instead. Upstairs, Blair readies a tape recorder and manages to get a weird feeling Spencer to do some talking. He admits he loves his brother and must protect him. He also restates how he fell in love with Blair and made things happen to get her. If she only knew what he's done, he mutters.

Back at John's place, Nat tries to recreate the shooting from a forensics point of view, but John would prefer not talking about the subject at all. She does realize that David couldn't have been standing where he said he was for the bullet to go the way it did. John already knows that and is not sure if the memory is just hazy or if it's another reason. He's happy when Nat heads out and returns with pizza and beer.

7/14 Bo and Matthew were at the police station cleaning out Bo's office. John was delighted to see them. Bo remained upbeat. Paige showed up looking well. Matthew gave her a big hug. Paige reported that the Atlantic City DA decided not to press charges against her. Blair showed John the front page of the Sun and asked for his help. Blair tried to explain what she was doing, pretending to still care for Spencer. John demanded that she stop trying to do police work. Spencer came by. Todd, of course, also arrived.

Natalie visited David and asked him to draw a sketch of the alley where David shot Thomas McBain. David showed Natalie where he had dropped the gun. Natalie looked startled. Natalie thanked David for his help. David asked her to bring him cannolis from Atlantic City. Natalie and John returned to the scene of the crime with schematics of the alley. John called a guy to come with a jackhammer and dig a hole. John found the gun under lots of muck and then he found something else. Was it a bullet? A slug? Either way, he seemed perplexed that it was there.

7/17 David doesn't react well to the news that the gun he was carrying on the night he "killed" Thomas McBain had blanks in it. He bemoans the fact that the last 25 years of his life have been defined by that one moment where he may or may not have taken a man's life. He even destroyed Dorian's love for him because of what happened that night.

John and Natalie let David know that they are still waiting on confirmation through fingerprints that they gun they found is indeed the gun David used. They ask him if he remembers hearing any other shots that night or anyone else being in the alley with him. They also inform him that they have a witness who may also be able to verify the owner of the gun they found. John tells David that even though he may not have killed his father, he still meant to do it and that he should look at the possible turn of events as another chance to do right in his life. When John and Natalie leave, David asks the guard to let him make one phone call to his brother.

7/18 John meets up with George to see if he can identify the gun used by Vickers the night of the shooting. He explains to George how that gun was filled with blanks and if it is the same gun then the wrong person is in jail. George feels that he has helped John enough with identifying the shooter and now John also wants him to identify a gun the gun that was used that night 25 years ago but he takes a look at the gun and remembers that it was the gun that the kid had that night. John asks George if he remembers anyone else being in the alley that night but George says that all he remembers is the sound of the gun and seeing this kid with the gun in his hand. With George's positive identification of the gun, John is discouraged to realize that his father's murderer is still at large. He arrives back at his office and receives a call from Blair who is determined to find something on Spencer before she loses Todd to another woman.

7/19 David realizes that Spencer was in the alley when he made the run for it after the cop was shot. He knows that Spencer must be the one who actually shot McBain, as he was the one who gave David the gun filled with what he now knows were blanks. As voices get louder, Spencer tries to quiet his brother down as David in turn tries to get him to confess. Little do they know that the cell is bugged, with Hugh listening on the other end. He stops at John's office, recorder in hand. He notes that Spencer did not deny the accusation but merely tried to get David to be quiet.

John visits David's cell and shows him the recorder. Isn't that illegal, David wonders. John asks if he thinks that his brother killed his father. They both agree that Spencer is quite possibly the real murderer.

7/20 Some drunken sleaze hit on Claudia at Capricorn. She rebuffed him and things got a little rough. John stepped up and shooed the sleaze away. Claudia told John she can take care of herself. They argued back and forth a bit and John wound up telling Claudia that if he were her, he'd go back to all the shrinks she used to see and ask for her money back. Then he walked away to drink a beer.

7/21 Upset when Claudia kisses John to thank him for driving away an unwanted admirer, Natalie hisses at the singer to keep her hands off or else.

7/25 Back at the station John tries to bribe David with a cannoli into helping him build a case against Spencer. John lets him know that he heard the tape where David mentions that Spencer was also in the alley the night his father died. David once again proclaims his innocence saying that he was shooting blanks that night and Spencer knew it since he was the one who provided him the gun. He warns John that Spencer is too slick and will neither confirm nor deny anyone's suspicions against him but John believes that he can beat Spencer at his own game.

After getting Lenny's name from Blair, John asks David if he remembers any of his father's acquaintances. The name doesn't ring a bell for David but he does remember that there was a guy who was arrested several times with his father when he was running scams and this guy was a forger. David is led back to his cell but not before he reminds John that he is innocent since he was shooting blanks like Kevin Buchanan and grabbing the box of cannolis.

7/27 John and Natalie test evidence in the lab, getting periodic phone calls from Bo of updated information. Bo tells John that the forger Spencer told Blair about is actually named Larry Madsen, and he received a heart transplant 10 years ago. They suspect that Spencer was either the surgeon or is connected to it in some way-Larry Madsen somehow went from the bottom of the list to the top in the blink of an eye. Later, Natalie appears to have discovered something important.

7/28 Natalie and John use forensics to examine the fatal bullet that killed Thomas McBain. Later, Natalie, John and David meet in John's office at the department. John reveals to David their findings on the bullet that was retrieved from his father. They conclude that the bullet that killed his father did not come from David's gun. Upon hearing this news, David requests to be released, but John refuses just yet.

Later, John continues to question David about the night of the shooting with district attorney Hugh urges him to try to remember. The bullet was from a gun the same make and model that David used, so David needs to try to remember if Spencer had a gun with him in the alley. David claims he doesn't know. Hugh agrees to release David in light of this new evidence.

John broods; pulls his hand away from Natalie's at the docks. Natalie tries in vain to comfort John, and leaves him alone to think.

Paige talks to Matthew on Bo's cell phone, and then leaves it unattended on the bar. It rings. Call display reveals that it's John. Making sure Paige isn't looking, Spencer answers the call and tries to imitate Bo's voice. John says that he has found a new lead on who framed Bo, but both Bo and Paige catch him and Spencer quickly closes the phone before John is able to say anything more.

7/31 John starts twitching when he spies David, Spencer, and Blair together at Capricorn. Natalie reminds John that like it or not David is on their side and will report anything that Spencer reveals to him. John tries to leave it alone but can't take it anymore and goes up to Spencer who begins to inquire as to how they found out that David didn't shoot Thomas McBain. Natalie goes into the ballistics details of how the gun was filled with blanks (David once again uses his joke of shooting blanks just like Kevin Buchanan) and that the bullet that was in McBain did not match David's gun.

When Spencer assumes correctly that they new person of interest is none other than himself, he goes down a list of real and supposed misdeeds that he has committed. John informs him that it doesn't matter what he gets charged with as long as he ends up in jail. Spencer tells John that he is not smart enough to beat Spencer but John tells him that he's on to him and that it's just a matter of time before he slips up and John will be right there.

Blair steps in to defend Spencer and tells John that all the accusations against Spencer are due to Todd and his baseless accusations. While Blair is letting John have it, David tells Spencer to meet him on the docks. Spencer begrudgingly agrees to David's request and when he meets with David, David informs him that he will get his revenge for all the lies and the blackmail that David endured while believing that he killed Thomas McBain.

8/1 David confronts Spencer with his suspicions that it was Spencer who shot Thomas McBain on that fateful night. Spencer neither confirms nor denies David's statements as he has a flashback showing how he loaded David's gun with blanks. As David reminds Spencer how he led him to believe that he was guilty of murder for 25 years, they both remember Spencer telling David that his gun was one of a matching pair of his and his guns that their father had given them. Spencer's flashback also reveals that he loaded his gun with real bullets. David informs Spencer that he is going to John McBain with his new recollection of the matching guns.

Natalie tries to get an anxious John to loosen up while they wait for news from David. They decide to play pool but run into Marcie and Michael instead who are curious about the case against David. John fills them in on the latest developments regarding David's innocence and Spencer's guilt. Michael asks John if he has any proof that it was Spencer who killed their father and John tells him not at this time.

Michael sees Paige walk in and confronts her about protecting Spencer all these years knowing that it was him and not David who killed Thomas McBain. Paige is stunned and offers to help prove that Spencer shot McBain. John tells Paige that he will find evidence on Spencer without her help just as David walks in and shares with John his memory of the matching gun that belonged to Spencer. John declares that he has a plan to find the missing gun.

8/2 Natalie confronted Nash and Claudia and warned them to stay away from Jessica (and also from John) because they are threatening her recovery. John walked up as Natalie was unleashing on Claudia and Nash to tell her to cool down.

David told John he understands if he can't every really forgive him because even though he didn't actually kill his father, he did fire his weapon that night. John told David that he doesn't owe him an explanation. David said he wishes he'd have come forward sooner.

8/3 Bo and John sat talking about trying to locate Lenny. John had someone look into Blair's claims about his whereabouts and learned that no one at the mountain ever saw Lenny. He and Bo realized that Spencer was just testing Blair and were concerned that it means her cover is blown.

8/7 After failing to get a confession from Lenny, John decides to enlist David's help. David will agree to help John only if he can use a character voice. John warns David that there are two things he doesn't like: overacting and bad acting. David promises to do neither as he is escorted into the interrogation room with Lenny. David, who ends up breaking his word to John about the overacting and bad acting, gains Lenny's by reminiscing with him about the days when Lenny and David's father ran together. David also flatters Lenny by recalling how his father used to call him the Da Vinci of forgery.

Lenny offers to get David released by signing Bo's name on release papers. When David reminds him that Bo no longer has a badge due to some papers he signed, Lenny hints to David that he was the one who signed the papers and not Bo. Just as Lenny is about to come out and say he forged Bo's signature, John comes in and hauls David out of the room. David reminds Bo not to forget who helped him get his badge back and asks for a copy of the tape that showcases his acting talent while John tries to get Lenny to name Spencer Truman as the man who hired him by offering Lenny no jail time.

8/8 Even with the promise of no jail time, John cannot get Lenny to confess to Spencer's involvement in framing Bo. Hugh does feel that Lenny has provided them with enough to get Bo his badge back.

David summons Spencer to the docks and informs him that Lenny has been arrested. Spencer wants to know if Lenny turned him in. David tells him that unfortunately Lenny is as loyal as a dog but not as smart. He adds that Lenny would rather face prison than break the old code that you don't rat out your buddies. Spencer thinks David could learn a thing or two from Lenny but David reminds him that it was Spencer's lies that have put a wall between them.

He tells Spencer how he would have given anything to be like him and that he looked up to Spencer as more of a father to him than their father ever was but all that has changed. David gets a kick out of telling Spencer how with John McBain on his trail it is just a matter of time before he gets the goods on Spencer which means that Spencer will lose Blair if he hasn't already. David tries to get Spencer to see that his best bet is to turn himself in.

John is furious when David tells him about his chat with Spencer. John is afraid that David has compromised the investigation by giving Spencer confidential information. Natalie tries to get John to see that David is only trying to help and that she is confident that he didn't give away privileged information to Spencer. David insists that it would be better if Spencer turned himself in instead of John wasting time at a trial that would probably end up going in the great doctor's favor.

8/10 Blair called John about the photograph she found of Spencer and his father with matching guns. Blair left the photo for John at the main desk. John and Bo looked at the photo Blair had left for them. They were sure the gun Spencer was holding was the gun that killed John's father.

8/11 At Hallowed Grounds, a cute guy checked out Natalie as Vincent noted, "You're about to jump outta your skin." Was he the cause? No! Nat's nerves were for her upcoming board certification. Hugh revealed Vincent was his law school pal and ex-roommate, but Natalie preferred a tutor on the right side of the law so she recruited (forensically inclined) Cute Guy. Natalie realized that Cute Guy was actually one of Vincent's cronies! "I was hoping you'd realize I'm not such a bad guy after all," Vince drawled. Overwhelmed Natalie tried to resist asking Vince for help as he eyed her from across the room.

At the station, John and Bo were still trying to get a closer look at Spencer and his pop's guns. They had just enough time for Bo to sneak the original photo back to Spencer's room. Bo and John worried over Blair's side of the investigation. "The best we can do is cover for her," noted John, and the picture was their best bet.

At the firing range, John vented bullets and frustration. "Target practice helps me think," John told another cop. And, sure enough, a light bulb went on! Bo wasn't sure where he and Paige were headed, but didn't say it was over, ”I think it's something that we have to earn." John popped back in with the photo, hoping to run Spencer's dad's name, "N. Truman," through the system. They were closer to nabbing Spencer! Awesome!

8/14 John was worried that the picture that Blair had taken of a younger Spencer with the gun that might have killed his father would not be enough evidence to get a search warrant for Spencer's place. John believed that Spencer had hidden the gun in a safe deposit box that he had gotten in his father's name. While discussing with John whether or not the picture Blair had taken of Spencer and his father with the gun was enough to get a search warrant, Natalie revealed that she was on the verge of flunking out of the forensics program. She told John that she hadn't done so well on her exams because she didn't understand some of the material.

John tried to help Natalie by going over some of the material with her. He asked her why she hadn't told him what was going on. Natalie told John that she'd wanted to handle the situation on her own. When the call arrived that a search warrant would not be issued, Natalie tried to convince John that Blair was the only one who could get the key to the deposit box and that even though it was dangerous, he should ask her, since Blair was determined to take Spencer down with or without police help.

**The End**