Written by: Dallas Walsh

"Where is he?" Stacey Rockwell asks as she enters Houston Blackmore's trailer after learning that Houston had been inside of a mine when an unexpected explosion occurred; the young man that she has been flirting with could have died and Stacey hasn't been able to think of anything else; she just hopes that he will be okay. She can't imagine what she would do if something happened to him.

Stacey breathes a sigh of relief when she sees Houston laying in his bed, a large bandage is wrapped around his head where he suffered a large wound. "Thank goodness he's alive," she whispers to herself as she moves closer to him. She looks at the onsite doctor and quickly approaches her. "Doctor, how is he?"

The doctor finishes reading her chart before she looks over at Stacey. "He should make a full recovery. He's a very lucky young man, had he been any further into the mine, he wouldn't have survived the explosion."

"Can I sit with him for awhile?"

"Of course you can," the doctor replies to Stacey. "Just make sure he gets his rest. He needs that so he can heal and get his strength back."

Stacey nods as the doctor leaves the trailer. She moves over to Houston's bedside and grabs his hand. "I was so worried about you," she admits to him, as his eyes open slowly. "I don't know why, but I was thought you were going to die."

"You can't get rid of me that easily," he manages to say with a chuckle, his eyes fully opened but extremely heavy.

She looks up in surprise, as she thought he was sleeping. "You're awake! How are you feeling? Can I get you anything?"

Houston moves his hand to her face and caresses it. "I'll be fine," he whispers back to her. "Have to admit, seeing your pretty face is a nice way to wake up too."

Stacey feels her cheeks flush from the compliment. "So, you were worried about me, huh?" he asks her with a sly grin on his face.

"I was," she replies to him. "How could I not be?"

"Like I said, I'm not going anywhere" he tells her.

"Can I get you anything?" she asks him. "Some water or something?"

She stands up to grab a cup but he grabs her arm. "Stacey," he says in a hushed whisper. "What I want is you."

She looks back at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Kiss me," he tells her as she moves a piece of her hair behind her ear.

"Houston!" she says back to him in shock. "You barely survived an explosion and you want to be kissed?"

"The way I see it, there's no better time to be kissed. I dodged a bullet, didn't I?"

"You certainly did," she smiles back to him. "Fine, I'll kiss you."

She leans down and their lips touch. She's about to pull away when he pulls her back in for a more passionate kiss. When their lips finally part, they look into each other's eyes. "See, that was worth living for," he licks his lips back to her.

***

MIRNYY, RUSSIA

Mac Rockwell looks around the small office that he is sitting in and realizes that the mine in Mirnyy, Russia, is one of the largest mines he has ever seen; the office doesn't do the rest of the operation justice. The idea that he could potentially own this mine very shortly makes him very excited. He just hopes that's they will accept his offer because since he lost the mine in Belgrade, he has to make sure he gets this mine. The rest of Rockwell Mining's fiscal year is depending on him closing this deal. And, he refuses to allow his company suffer anymore at the hands of Kent Blackmore.

He looks over when the door to the office opens and Marat Kafelnikov enters. "Sorry to keep you waiting Mr. Rockwell," Marat, the mine foreman, says in a heavy Russian accent. "I hope you have been comfortable while waiting?"

"Very, yes, thank you," Mac replies to him. "Please, call me Mac. This is quiet the operation you have here."

Marat sits across from him. "We continue to expand every year," Marat informs him, proud of what they have accomplished. "We are one of the largest mines in the world."

"I can see why," Mac acknowledges back to him. "I'm very pleased that you agreed to meet with me to discuss the bid."

"Just so you know, I think it takes a big man to come here to present the offer to me in person," Marat admits to him. "We've had other offers, of course, but you're the only one who traveled to meet with me face to face. That tells me that you have respect."

"I like to engage with people I do business with," Mac informs him, thrilled he is making a good impression. "And, this isn't any old offer."

Marat arches his eyebrow. "What does that mean, exactly, Mac? What, exactly, is this offer?"

Mac passes him a piece of paper. "That is my offer," Mac reveals to Marat. "You'll notice that we are offering you a substantial amount of cash, but we are also offering you 5% of the profits from the diamonds that we obtain from this mine."

"That's unheard of," Marat replies to him. "No one has ever offered that before."

Mac smirks back to him. "Rockwell Mining is trying to change the industry," he reveals to him. "This is just one of those ways. Now, I know you'll have multiple offers, but consider how much more you'll make from that 10%."

"It will be a lot of liquidity coming in," Marat smiles back to him. "You've given me a great deal to think about."

"Wonderful, I look forward to hearing from you very soon Marat, with good news, I hope."

***

Cole Rockwell stands in the living room of his father's mansion and listens as a crackle of thunder can be heard outside. He moves closer to the window and can see threatening storm clouds outside. He draws the curtain closed and turns to look into the flames of the fire.

His mind is racing about how Celeste Baldwin married Mac the other day, despite them sharing some close moments since he has been back in Kelsey Lake. He closes his eyes for a moment and recalls when he kissed Celeste right before her wedding; her soft lips felt so amazingly good on his. When he opens his eyes, he walks over to the bar and pours himself a scotch.

"How did this happen?" he asks himself as he takes a drink of the scotch. "How did I end up falling for my Dad's wife?"

He knows that neither he or Celeste wanted this to happen but he can't deny that he does have feelings for her and he believes that she has feelings for him as well. A lightning bolt illuminates the windows of the study, as the rain clouds open up and water starts to fall from the sky.

Cole finishes his scotch and sets the glass down on the table. He can see his hands start to shake as his mind races back to the wedding day. "She shouldn't have married him," he says to himself, feeling himself get more agitated. "Damn it!" yells in frustration."I need something to take this edge off…"

Suddenly, he gets an idea. He grabs his phone and looks through his contacts, seeing an old familiar number. "My dealer," he whispers to himself as he starts to make a phone call and another boom of thunder can be heard.

***

Another thunder boom crackles in the sky as Celeste Baldwin opens the door to Mac's office and she moves inside. She sees Lex Rockwell sitting at Mac's desk, which is not unusual since Mac is in Russia on business. Celeste thought that she would stop by and see Lex to run the idea of her design department at the company by him. She recalls how Mac told her that he needed to focus on getting the Russia deal but since that is coming to a close, one way or another, she would see what everyone else's thoughts are. She wants to get another opinion on the matter, hoping that Mac will still green light her idea.

"Celeste, what brings you by?" Lex asks her as more thunder booms outside and he stands up from the desk. "I'm surprised your out in this storm."

"It's just a little rain," she purses her lips together, not wanting to be perceived as weak. "Besides, I wanted to see you about something and I didn't want to wait.."

Lex arches his eyebrow as he moves over to the bar. "Would you care for a brandy?"

"Yes, I'd love one," she tells him as he pours two drinks and then passes her one. "Thank you. Look, Lex, I know that Mac is in Russia right now trying to close this deal but I wanted to get your thoughts on the possibility of a design department here at Rockwell Mining. I've been working very hard on some jewelry designs and I really believe that this new founded division would move Rockwell into future, in a positive way."

Lex takes a sip of his brandy and looks back at his step-mother. "Mac was telling me about your idea," he reveals to her. "And, I think it is a great idea. However, with everything going on in the company right now, I don't know that starting a new division is the best idea."

Celeste nods back to him as lightning flashes across the dark sky. "That's what Mac told me too," Celeste replies to him. "I suppose I was hoping that this Russia deal was going to be a sure thing and we could move forward on this division concept of mine."

"That's just not possible," Lex tells her. "That Russia deal is not a sure thing, in business no deal is ever a done deal until the contracts are signed."

Celeste bites her lip, not able to hide her disappointment. She really wanted the green light to go ahead with her division. "I will talk to my husband when he gets back because he told me he would this for me, I won't back down from this. I want my division."

Lex arches his eyebrow back to her. "I see," he tells her. "Regardless of what you want, Celeste, Mac will always do the best for this company."

"My division is what's best for this company!" she tells him firmly. "Anyways, I'm not going to fight with you about this Lex, this is between my husband and I."

"Do you want me to drive you home? I don't want you to drive if you're upset, not in this storm."

"I'll be fine, are you heading home now?"

Lex shakes his head. "Nah, I'll stay here and get some more work done. Celeste, don't worry about this division, okay? Mac will proceed if and when the time is right."

Celeste uneasily nods back to him, hoping he is right. "Yea, I'm sure he will."

***

"I know you hate storms," Jarek Williams tells his mother Odette Williams as they sit together at her kitchen table of her house. Jarek stopped by to see his mother because he knows that she gets scared in thunder storms and he didn't want her to be alone during this one. He knows that she can be rather fragile since his father died and the storm could cause her unwarranted stress. "That's why I decided to come over and see you."

"You're just sweet as sugar," Odette smiles back to him, as some thunder booms outside causing her to shudder. "But you are right, I hate when the clouds crackle and boom like this."

"It will pass," Jarek tells her. "Like every storm, it will leave just as it comes."

"Ain't that the truth," Odette agrees with him. "How about we watch some TV while we wait this storm out?"

"Sure thing," Jarek stands up from the table. "I'll grab some iced teas, you go turn on the TV?"

Odette leaves the room as Jarek goes into the kitchen and opens the refrigerator door, locating the pitcher. He pours two glasses of iced tea and then proceeds to walk back into the living room, where he sees Odette sitting on the sofa, with tears streaming down her face. A loud clap of thunder echoes outside that causes the house to shake a little, as he rushes over to her.

"Mom? What is it?" Jarek asks her as he sets the glasses down on the coffee table and he moves to the sofa to sit next to her. "Why are you crying?"

She points to the news broadcast, as the announcer continues to reveal how there was a minor explosion at the Kelsey Lake mine. He looks back at her and hugs her immediately. "I'm so sorry," he whispers to her. "I know these things upset you."

"Just hold me for a moment," Odette cries to her son, trying to composure herself. "It makes me think about your father. You know that."

"I do," Jarek holds her closer. "I understand Mom. I really do."

"That's how he left us," Odette whispers. "Your father died in an explosion at that mine," she continues to tell him as more lightning flashes across the sky. "I can't even forget that. I hate that mine! I hate it!"

"It's okay, it will be okay!"

"It will be," she cries to him. "But this is exactly why you have to stay with Lexington Rockwell, do you understand me? You have to!"

***

Celeste rushes up to the front door of the mansion, trying not to get wet from the rain storm. Lightning flashes across the sky as she fumbles with her keys before she unlocks the front door and she moves inside quickly. She stops and tries to catch her breath before she takes off her wet jacket and passes it to Ingrid, the maid, who arrives to assist her.

"Thank you Ingrid," she tells the maid, who rushes off with her coat. "I need to sit by the fire and warm up and maybe have a nice glass of red wine," Celeste tells herself as she moves into the living room of the mansion. "I think we have a pinor noir from New Zealand."

She moves straight to the bar as thunder booms outside and pours herself a glass of the wine. She takes a sip and then turns around, seeing the fire already roaring. She looks over in the corner of the room, and is startled to see Cole sitting on a chair, looking at something in his hands.

"Cole? You scared me," she admits to him, but he doesn't look up from whatever it is he is looking at. "Cole? Are you okay? Did you hear me?"

She sets her wine down and moves over to the arm chair where he is sitting. "Cole, what is it?" she asks him a she sits in front of him. "What's wrong with you?"

Lightning flashes across the sky, causing the windows to illuminate up. He finally makes eye contact with her, his eyes are red and damp, as he has been crying, unable to hide how upset he is.

"Have you been crying?" she asks him as she grabs his free hand. "Tell me, what's wrong? Please say something! I'm worried about you, for crying out loud."

"I…" he finally whispers back to her. "I've just had a very long day."

"But why? What is this really about?"

He holds up her hand that he is holding and looks at her large diamond wedding ring. She quickly pulls her hand out of his. "Is this about my wedding to Mac? Oh Cole," she whispers back to him. "You know that I never meant to hurt you. I'm so sorry that this is troubling you. But you have to know, we never really had a chance."

"Troubling me?" he laughs a little back to her. "That's the understatement of the year."

"What's in your other hand?" Celeste asks him, notching him clutching something. "Cole, what's in your hand!?"

He opens his hand and she sees a little bag with white powder in it. She grabs it from him in shock. "Cole, no! You cannot do this! You cannot fall off the wagon because I married your father. I refuse to let that happen," she tells him as she stands up and walks over to the fireplace, holding his cocaine in her hand.

"What are you doing?" he asks her, standing up and following her, worried about what she is about to do.

"I'm helping you," she tells him as he rushes up to her but it's too late, she throws the bag of cocaine into the flames of the fire.

"What the fuck did you just do? Do you know how much I spent on that?"

"Is it really worth throwing the last year of your life away? You worked so hard to get sober, don't fall of the wagon over this!" she tells him as she looks in him the eyes. "I want to help you, Cole."

"You want to help me?" he asks her, frustrated with what just happened. "That's rich!"

"I am here for you, I wish you'd believe that. I don't want to see this happen to you," she insists as she grabs his hands. "Despite everything that happened, I still care about you. Very much so, actually."

He looks at her for a moment and then looks down at their interlocked hands. He licks his lips as they make eye contact again as thunder booms outside. He moves closer to her and then kisses her hard and passionately. They part lips for a moment and she pulls him into another passionate kiss, as lightning flashes across the sky again.

***

As the storm rages on, Stacey lays next to Houston in his bed as they watch a movie on his IPad. He asked her to stay with him for a while because he didn't want to be alone. Having enjoyed the kiss they shared earlier, Stacey agreed to his idea. Plus, she always wanted to see the latest Superman movie, so that was just an added bonus.

"Well, that wasn't anything special," she manages to say to him as the movie comes to a close. "They always make these movies seem so cool in the trailers but there hasn't been a good one in years."

Houston chuckles a little at her comment. "I don't think you're exactly their target audience," he winks to her.

"Did you like it?"

"Did you see that explosion? It was pretty awesome!"

Stacey laughs back at him. "Which explosion? There was, like, 5 or 6."

"Exactly!" he laughs back to her before he looks up into her eyes. "I've had a good time, thank you for staying with me tonight."

A loud boom of thunder can be heard as she looks back at him. "I've had a good time too," she admits to him. "I'm just so glad you'll be okay."

"I already feel like new," he admits to her as he leans up and kisses her passionately. "I've wanted to do that again since we kissed early."

She licks her lips. "I wanted you to do it again," she admits to him before she kisses him again. "I want you," she admits to him as she kisses him again

"You'll have to stay on top," he tells her as she crawls on him and kisses him again, as things get more heated than before. "I shouldn't move too much."

"I can handle that," she winks at him as she starts taking her top off in between heavy kisses with him.

***

Lydia Rockwell paces back and forth in the living room of her penthouse as the storm rages on outside. She walks over to the bar and pours herself a glass of Irish whiskey. She takes a heavy sip of it, and feels the burn going down her chest. A loud clap of thunder can be heard outside, as she thinks about what Lex and Rockwell Mining could be investigating from the past. In her mind, the only logical explanation is that they are trying to figure out how Rockwell lost the Kelsey Lake mine all those years ago, which would make sense since thought she overheard mention Kelsey Lake on the phone to his investigator.

"And, that can't happen," she whispers to herself. "Because, I could go to jail. I've worked far too far to let that happen. I won't let the truth come out."

"Are you talking to yourself, dear?" Kent Blackmore asks his fiancé as he comes into the living room, as more lightning flashes across the sky. Living in the penthouse, the couple have a great view of the lightning storm out of the large windows. "What's on your mind?'

Lydia sighs and takes another sip of her whiskey. "Now, I know something is going on with you since you are drinking the strong stuff," he observes to her.

"I'm worried Kent," she admits to him before she turns and looks at him. "Rockwell Mining is still investigating the past. I have reason to believe they are looking into how they lost Kelsey Lake, all those years ago."

"Yes, you've mentioned that before," he replies to her quickly. "I'm not sure what they will uncover now. This all happened so long ago. What could they possibly learn now?"

"But what if they did uncover something?" she asks him, worry written all over her face. "You know damn well what I did for you. I really don't believe that Mac would show me any mercy, not after all these years."

"What is there to uncover?" he asks her. "You're worrying over nothing," he tells her as thunder booms outside. "And besides, the only truth that would come out would be…"

"Don't even say it!" she warns him. "We've been over this, Kent! No one can ever know what happened. No one can ever know the truth! Not now, not ever, do you understand me?"

Kent folds his arms across his chest. "I hate this," he admits to her. "I've lost out too, you know."

"I know," Lydia replies to him. "But this is bigger than you and I. Our families could be destroyed by this, Kent. You must realize that!"

"I realize that," he tells her as more thunder booms outside. "I just hate that I can't have everything that is rightfully mine."

"You have Kelsey Lake, you have what you want," she scolds him. "Now, I have to think about how I'm going to prevent this PI from uncovering any sort of truths. Either you can help me or you can decide to let me fight on my own, either way, I will come out on top. I have no other options and, frankly, neither do you."

***

Thunder booms as the door to the master bedroom opens quickly allowing Cole and Celeste to move inside, their lips never leaving each other's. He shuts the door with his foot and they part lips for a moment.

"I want you so badly," he tells her with lust in his eyes as the sky lights up from another flash of lightning.

"I want you too," she replies to him as she undoes her sun dress and it falls to the ground. He eyes her almost naked body as he comes up to her again and kisses her passionately.

He throws up against the wall and comes up behind her, slowly removing her underwear as he starts to kiss her again. "Oh Cole," she gasps, as he unzips his pants. "You're so strong, you're so sexy."

"I'm about to show you how strong I am," he whispers in her ear as he thrusts into her for the first time, not even taking his pants completely off. She gasps out in pleasure.

"Why did you stop?" she asks him, as she turns to look at him taking his pants off.

"I'm just getting started," he says as he throws his clothes over his shoulder and pulls her to the bed, kissing her again, and letting his hands explore her excited body.

"Make love to me," she tells him out loud as more thunder booms outside. "Please, Cole, I need you so badly."

***

Stacey and Houston lay side by side in his bed, his chest glistening with some beads of sweat from the workout they just had together, having just made love for the first time. Stacey, partly, can't believe that she just did that with Houston, since she usually doesn't move this quickly with someone but she can't help but have a very strong attraction to the young man.

"That was amazing," he whispers to her. "I didn't think a girl would actually stay on the top the entire time."

She chuckles to him. "Well, hey, now, we don't have to rehash all the details of what just happened," she tells him before she leans in and kisses him. "But, for the record, I did like it too."

"Yea?" he grins back to her as he moves his arm behind his head, showing off his large bicep. "Because I could get used to this."

Suddenly, Stacey looks around the trailer and realizes where she is: the Kelsey Lake min, in a miner's trailer. She shoots up in the bed, covering herself with the bed sheet. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I can't believe we just did this," she admits to him, feeling very uneasy. "If my father knew what I just did…"

"Why would your Dad care that you were with a guy?"

"Not just a guy," she tells him as she stands up. "I know this will sound pretentious," she continues to tell him as she puts her clothing back on, and another loud crackle of thunder is heard. "But, if he knew that I was with a miner, he would lose his mind. He expects me to stay…"

"What within a certain class?" Houston asks her shocked by her admission. "Do you even know who I am? I mean, you just had hot sex with me and now you're throwing me away because you think I'm some poor miner? You sure know how to make a guy feel great."

"I'm so sorry Houston, I have to go," she scurries away from the room, leaving him alone in his bed and confused by what just happened and wondering who the woman he just slept with really is.

***

"Have you come up with any ideas at all?" Kent asks Lydia has he comes downstairs, having given Lydia some time alone to digest what she is planning to do with the information that Rockwell Mining is investigating how they lost the Kelsey Lake mine all those years ago.

Lydia pours herself another whiskey and turns back to her Kent as lightning flashes across the sky. "Not really," she admits to him. "And, Kent, I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier. I'm just under a great deal of stress. It's not personal, okay?"

"I know," he tells her as he comes up to her and grabs her shoulders. He leans in and gives her a kiss on the lips. "I just wish you wouldn't be so hard on yourself. You did what you thought was right; we both did. Whatever happens, happens. And, we can deal with this together."

"I love you Kent Blackmore," she smiles back to him. "You always know the right things to say."

Kent arches his eyebrow back to her. "I've also been thinking, and I think I've come up with an idea."

"Do tell," she tells him as she passes him a whiskey that she poured for him.

"Thank you," he says taking the drink and having a sip of it. "You ended up with 6% shares of Rockwell Mining?"

"That's right," Lydia informs him. "I made Mac give me some shares in the divorce settlement since I quit my position there. I thought it was only fair."

"Well, by math, all you need are your children's shares and you would have a majority there," he reveals to her as thunder booms outside. "You could take over Mac's company. Then, it really doesn't matter what the PI uncovers."

Lydia laughs at his idea as more lightning flashes outside. "How the hell am I supposed to get my children's shares?" she asks him, fluffing off the idea.

"That's to be determined," he whispers to her. "Just imagine if you did. You'd kick Mac out of his own company. We'd be running the biggest two diamond empires in the world. You and me, on top of the world."

Lydia arches her eyebrow back to him. "I like the sound of this," she admits to him, as thunder booms loudly outside. "The question becomes, how the hell do I get my children's shares?"

***

The rain continues to pour outside, but in the large king size bed in the master bedroom, Celeste rests her head on Cole's muscular chest, fresh from intense love making.

"I needed that," he admits to her, still trying to catch his breath. "I had wanted you since the first time I saw you."

"When you crashed your car into mine?" she asks him with a grin on her face.

"That moment you walked out of the car, you were the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," Cole reveals to her. "And tonight, you helped me stay sober. I needed you and you were there for me."

Thunder booms outside again. "I'm glad I was able to get your mind off things," she says as they look at each other and she kisses him again. "I wanted this too, God help me."

"Don't say that," he replies to her. "We can deal with the fall out together."

Downstairs, the front door opens and Mac enters the mansion, as he rushed home from Russia to be with Celeste. He caught the last red-eye back to Kelsey Lake so he wouldn't be away from his wife for another moment. He throws his umbrella on the table by the door and looks around. "Celeste? I'm home darling," he calls out, hoping that she will emerge from one of the rooms on the main floor. When she doesn't, he realizes that she must have gone up to bed.

"She must be upstairs," he whispers to himself as he starts to walk the upstairs, as Cole and Celeste continue kissing in the bed she shares with Mac, her husband.