Doris called upon Alan to help her out with an interview with the press on Main Street. He was reluctant to participate but did. Watching the interview on their televisions were Jeffrey and Reva at Cross Creek, Ashlee and Coop at the Beacon, and Dinah and Beth at Company. Reva rushed off to the interview, fearing Alan would divulge their secret. Ashlee rushed off to the interview, fearing Doris would reveal Ashlee's secret.
Dinah and Beth remained at Company. Dinah was worried about her relationship with Mallet, with all the overtime he'd been working as Doris' bodyguard, and Beth was worried about her relationship with Rick and her feelings about Alan. Both women, however, put on a positive face and didn't reveal their fears to one another.
When Alan excused himself from the interview, a reporter followed him -- wanting to learn more about the "man of mystery." Reva arrived, and she and Alan put on a show of solidarity for the cameras. Jeffrey followed Reva to Main Street and couldn't believe he was seeing a true alliance between the two "once sworn enemies." Reva told Jeffrey that she was just trying to make Alan believe she was letting go of her anger about what he had done to Jon and Sarah so he'd back off. They returned to Cross Creek, where Reva said she'd been distracted because she'd signed her divorce papers. She told him she was ready to start a new chapter in her life, and the two ran hurriedly up to bed.
When Ashlee arrived at Main Street for a photo op with her mother, she and Doris found that Coop had followed Ashlee. Ashlee and Coop kissed one another in front of Doris. Doris was suspicious and asked Coop why he was with her daughter. Coop explained that he had been the pursuer in the romance. He told her that he'd had to prove himself to Ashlee, not the other way around.
When Coop left mother and daughter on their own, Doris beseeched Ashlee to get a grip on the relationship. Ashlee said that this time it was different. As Ashlee left, Doris looked genuinely worried about her daughter.
Ashlee and Coop went to CO2, where Ava joined them. Ava sprang the name "Jack" on Ashlee, who became immediately agitated. She wanted to leave, but Coop insisted Ava leave instead. When he asked Ashlee about Jack, Coop learned that Jack had been her guidance counselor in Clayton and that he had been a pain. Ashlee said she had to go home before she turned into a pumpkin. As they left, Ava was watching from the shadows.
Ava had earlier lured Jack to her room to pump him for information about Ashlee's past. Other than telling her that he had once been close to Ashlee as her guidance counselor, he would tell her nothing further. Ava went to Jeffrey for help in finding out more about Ashlee's past but didn't get any help.
Dinah had gone to the police station to get Mallet to take off and go home with her. She overheard Doris badgering Mallet to get to work as her bodyguard. Dinah told Doris that Mallet quit. Mallet, however, assured Doris that he would be there to work for her. Dinah was unaware that Mallet would still be working for Doris. Dinah and Mallet returned to their room, where they made love.
Alan ran into Beth at Company and revealed that he had turned over a new leaf and no longer wanted to control the lives of others. Beth was suspicious of his newfound approach on life, but Alan was convincing. He promised to back off interfering in her and Rick's lives as long as she was happy. Beth confided that she had the life she hadn't known that she'd wanted.
There was a musical montage with images of all the couples. Doris was campaigning on Main Street when she stopped to gaze at a young woman with her baby. Ashlee was asleep across Coop's lap at the Beacon when she woke up and retreated to the terrace alone. Beth was at the Spaulding mansion, looking forlornly at pictures of her and Phillip. Alan was with her, drinking. Reva woke up next to Jeffrey and got up and dressed to leave.
After the montage, Mallet left the Beacon to go protect Doris. He told Dinah that soon they might have all their financial problems behind them. He flashed back to his stealing part of the cash from the evidence bag. After Mallet left, Dinah called Matt and asked him to hang out with her.
Coop followed Ashlee to the terrace, asking her if there was more troubling her about Jack that she hadn't revealed. She told him that Jack had been a great counselor to her -- kind of like an uncle or dad. It turned out, however, that Jack "liked" young girls, and his house had been raided -- then he had just been gone. Coop assured her that he was not leaving, and the two kissed and hugged. Jeffrey woke up and found that Reva was again gone. Ava called him, again asking what she should do about Coop. Jeffrey told her that sometimes it was okay to get involved where you shouldn't.
Ava called Jack and invited him to be her date to the Spaulding gala.
Reva had left Jeffrey at Cross Creek to see a somewhat drunken Alan at the Spaulding mansion. She couldn't believe he was being so calm when she felt so weighed down by what they had done. He said the calm was a result of practice. She said she couldn't let go, seeing as, "for God's sake, we killed someone."
Jeffrey and Reva were on a dinner date when Alan showed up to warn Reva that Jeffrey had been doing some digging. Jeffrey kept prying but avoided the truth altogether. Jeffrey made a suspicious call, trying to find out where Reva and Alan had really gone. Alan, infuriated that Jeffrey had spoken to his pilot, called Reva and demanded she end things with Jeffrey.
Gus moved into the mansion, in the room right next to Natalia. After Gus told Alan about Rafe having sex with Daisy, Alan pointed out to Gus that he had an opportunity to protect Rafe from Daisy. Rafe and Daisy were distraught when Natalia and Gus insisted on keeping them apart. Natalia told Gus she was going to go out with Remy that night, and later, an angry Gus ordered Remy to stay away from Natalia. Alan invited Natalia to the Spaulding Diabetes Event, and surprisingly, she said yes.
As Daisy told Ashlee how much she'd enjoyed being with Rafe, it became clear that Ashlee was really uncomfortable with the subject. Daisy was thrilled to see Rafe, but Gus ordered her to go home. Later, Daisy and Rafe finally met up, and they fell into a blissful kiss.
Inside the Light: Strange Bedfellows
Reva felt guilty over what had transpired with Alan and her on their mysterious trip. She had bad dreams of getting shot. Later in the day, when she heard sirens, she tensed. Meanwhile, Alan conducted business as usual, setting up trusts and portfolios for Natalia. Ava went over the information. She expressed her outrage over Alan's decisions to step down as CEO and to allow Alex to run the company. Alan was adamant that he was stepping back because he'd had a family once. He'd lost them, and he'd "be damned" if he lost the new family he had found.
Gus entered the study, looking for a place to hide his gun. Alan offered the desk. Gus locked it in the desk and took the key. Alan dismissed Ava, telling her that his decision to step down was final. When Ava left, Alan used another key to unlock the drawer and pull out Gus's gun.
Meanwhile, Reva decided to visit Rev. Rutledge at the Beacon to unburden herself. Josh answered the door, saying that Rutledge was unavailable. He asked if he could help. She found it hard to talk to Josh in a ministry capacity. With a little jeering and then friendly encouragement, Josh got Reva to try to open up.
Reva started off telling Josh that she was blessed to have her children, and she would do anything for them. Later at Company, Reva was babbling to an older lady with a hearing aid. The lady wandered off when Reva laughed at the fact that the woman had never heard a word she was saying. She realized she couldn't confess to ministers or strangers.
Down at the dock, Alan lamented to himself about missing Phillip. He wished he had someone in his life at that moment like him that he could trust with the good and with the bad. He looked at a flight plan to Tourmaline, California, saying maybe someday soon he would. He ripped up the plan and threw it in the water.
Reva ran into Jeffrey, still lying to him and dodging the issue about what had happened with Alan. Jeffrey vowed to find out. He couldn't get his hands on the flight plan, but he urged Reva to just trust him and tell him. Reva admitted that she might need a lawyer.
Just before Reva elaborated, Alan interrupted them and faked a health episode to keep Reva from telling Jeffrey the truth. Concerned about Alan, Reva took him to get checked out. Back at the mansion, she told him that she knew he had been faking. They argued about her conscience. Alan told her that she couldn't live with both Jeffrey and the secret. She had to choose.
Back at Cross Creek, Reva decided to move out. Jeffrey could stay there as long as he would like. She pretended that signing the divorce papers had affected her more than she'd realized. Confused, Jeffrey wasn't buying her excuses. She hammed it up about Josh and then announced that she was moving into the Spaulding house. He vowed to be there when she got back because someone had to be around when she returned to her senses.
Later, Reva ran into Cassie down at the docks. Jeffrey had told Cassie that Reva planned to move into the mansion. They went to talk about it over beer at Company. Cassie told Reva that she could not move into her enemy's house. Reva claimed she was moving in so they could work closer on the cancer projects. Cassie said that she couldn't be in Reva's life if she did that. Because Reva had had drinks, Cassie called her a cab. She went with her to the Spaulding mansion. Reva went off to find her room, and Cassie stayed to threaten Alan.
Meanwhile, at loose ends at Cross Creek, Jeffrey strummed his guitar. A montage played of Reva unable to sleep, Josh working late at the office, and Cassie sleeping outside the door, waiting for him. Alan looked over maps when Reva walked into the room and poured a drink. She was bothered by their "cold-blooded" murder. Alan wondered if Reva would rather their late friend be there with Reva being the one who was dead. Reva said no.
Alan commented that Reva spoke like a true Spaulding. Alex had always said that Alan and Reva would end up together one day. Reva scoffed. Alan mentioned that they were attracted to each other. Reva said he was only interested in her because she was a challenge. Alan said she needed someone to ride her and tame her -- something Josh wasn't cowboy enough to do. Reva cut it short, saying no talk of Josh or Jeffrey, and she wouldn't mention Beth.
The clock chimed, and Reva sighed, wondering if that was it. Alan said that neither one of them trusted the other, so they were stuck there until the coast was clear or one of them killed the other one. On that note, Reva wanted to go back to bed. Before she left, Alan asked if she was ever going to thank him. Reva wondered what she would thank him for. "For saving your life," he said. Thoughtfully, Reva turned and left the parlor.
As Cyrus and Alex were in the final stages of preparing for the night's benefit, Cyrus anxiously checked his cell phone, waiting for it to ring. He then made an excuse to leave, saying he needed to go pick up the flowers that he'd ordered for her, but he really went to Marina's room. He told her that that was the night -- the night that they could start their new life together.
Marina was struggling with the decision. In some ways, the idea of leaving with Cyrus was exciting, but she knew that she would never be able to go back home to see her family and didn't want to leave what was "home" to her. As the discussion became intense between them, they made love. Then, he left to get ready for his big heist that night and asked her again to meet him later at the boat so that they could leave together to start a new life -- together.
Meanwhile, Ava stopped by the Spaulding mansion to leave a stack of work for Alex in between answering business calls on her cell phone. Alex was confused about why Ava was leaving all of that work for her, until Ava informed her that Alan was stepping down as CEO of Spaulding and was leaving Alex in charge, temporarily. Alex was completely surprised by the news.
Later, Buzz stopped by the mansion and gave Alex flowers before the big event began that night. Alex told Buzz that at first, Cyrus had just been the newest, hottest accessory to have, but then she'd started to see him as something she'd wanted to keep around longer.
Cyrus arrived back at the mansion, with flowers, and Alex informed him of the news -- that she was the CEO of Spaulding. He congratulated her and was genuinely happy for her, while she believed he was the reason that her life was going so well lately.
Later, Marina saw Buzz at CO2 and basked in the warm, fuzzy feeling of her grandfather making her hot chocolate. She said she would miss those moments if they were to end. Then she asked him if he would do anything for someone he loved, like Jenna, and Buzz responded that he would. Marina looked at him with goodbye in her eyes and in her voice, and she told him she loved him, as if for the last time. She looked as if she had just made her decision.
Dinah and Mallet were at the diner, and finances were a topic of discussion. Mallet left to get the car, and Dinah tried to pay the bill but was having a hard time trying to figure out counting money. As customers waited in line behind her, one in particular grew impatient and added pressure to Dinah to hurry. Frustrated, Dinah handed the clerk a handful of money and told her to take it and keep the change. The clerk told her it was too much money, but the one customer told the clerk to take it then called Dinah stupid.
Mallet returned in time to hear that and helped Dinah move away from that situation. He called the station and left a message for Frank that he would be a little late for his shift. Shortly after, Frank entered the diner, not having gotten the message yet, and found Mallet. Frank suggested that it was time to get Dinah more help and said that he needed to write Mallet up for his work performance. As Mallet tried to take Dinah home before returning to work, Dinah argued that she could take a cab. Matt entered and offered to take Dinah home. Mallet agreed and left for work, trusting his friend Matt to get Dinah home.
Matt took Dinah home and made her coffee while he vented about seeing Vanessa having coffee with Billy. He told Dinah that if Mallet saw that they had a spark between them, he wouldn't have let him take her home. Dinah seemed to be stunned that Matt thought there could be something between them and told him that she loved Mallet and would stay with him until he couldn't stay with her anymore. At the police station, Mallet secretly looked at a package of cash that he had taken away from confiscated money.
As Billy and Lizzie met on Main Street, Lizzie encouraged Billy to ask Vanessa out on a date. Billy bumbled nervously over coffee with Vanessa but finally asked her to be his date for the Spaulding benefit, and she agreed. Just then, Matt happened to walk by, saw Vanessa with Billy, and approached them, upset about how fast Vanessa had begun seeing someone else before their divorce papers were even final.
Later, Billy was having coffee at the diner, talking with Buzz, and let Buzz know he was taking Vanessa to the benefit that night. Ava entered to check to see which Coopers would be there, specifically Coop. She learned he would be there with Ashlee. Ava seemed happy that he'd be there, and she left. Billy asked Buzz if Marina would be there, since Marina's name was the only one not mentioned among the Coopers who were going. Buzz responded that it was best if Marina stayed away from the whole area, to help keep her away from Cyrus.
Marina returned to her room, picked up the picture of the house Cyrus talked about, and curled up on her bed.
Cyrus called Griggs and finalized some plans. Cyrus asked how long it would take for the stolen money to be in the bank accounts that he'd set up. He didn't get a clear answer, and then Alex spotted Griggs and asked Griggs to identify himself. He stalled, and just as she was about to call the police, Cyrus showed up.
Alexandra saw Griggs and was ready to call the police when Cyrus interrupted and stated that was his new driver. Cyrus led Griggs away and whispered that he would call him. Cyrus returned to Alex and talked about how much he was looking forward to the charity ball. Later, Cyrus placed a call to Griggs to test out the receiver and went over the plan.
After packing her gun in her purse, Marina tried to convince Frank to let her work security at the ball so she could be there for Harley. After a little bit of pleading from Marina, Frank finally agreed. Later, Frank found Mallet's police notebook on Mallet's desk. Suspicious, he unlocked Mallet's desk and found wads of money.
Vanessa arrived at the ball with Billy, surprising Dinah and Mallet. Dinah took her mother aside and asked if she was dating Billy -- she asked if he was the man who had ruined her life. Vanessa stated that she and Billy were just friends. Dinah then mentioned Matt. She asked how he would feel. Later, Vanessa was with Billy when he bumped into someone. Billy made a joke -- more than once -- about it being a good thing he was not drinking. Vanessa believed that Billy was trying to reassure her. Vanessa stated that she knew he was not the same person she had known, and she liked who he had become.
Dinah called Matt to warn him that Vanessa was at the ball with Billy. Matt had been drinking a little and asked if she thought he should stay away. Dinah admitted that it was his call.
Marina caught Cyrus in a private moment and asked him how he was going to rob the Spauldings. Cyrus refused to give her the details, for her protection. If she did not know any details, she did not know of the crime.
Gus approached Natalia and asked for a truce. Natalia claimed she was not angry at him. Gus tried to warn her about staying away from Alan, but Natalia refused to talk about him. As they were talking about old times, they spotted Harley, and Natalia encouraged him to speak with her. Gus and Harley made small talk about Daisy, who Harley stated was depressed because her heart was broken. When Gus offered his support, Harley walked off.
Alan congratulated Alexandra at the job she had done planning the charity ball. He thought she was trying to outshine him to prove she could handle the business as well as he had. Alexandra asked Alan why he was stepping down at Spaulding. He told her that there were more important things than business.
Alan was eyeing Natalia, whom he had taken as his date. A little later, Gus accused Alan of hitting on Natalia. Gus warned Alan to back off, but Alan claimed that since Gus did not want her, she was fair game. When Natalia happened upon them, Gus asked her to dance.
Matt arrived at the ball and tried to get Vanessa to dance with him. Vanessa started to resist, and Billy intervened. Matt was shocked that Vanessa had picked Billy over him and stated that he did not want Billy to have one minute alone with his daughter. Vanessa angrily brushed Matt off, and later, Billy poured himself a drink.
Frank arrived at the ball and privately confronted Mallet about the $ 30,000 in drug-bust money that he'd found in Mallet's desk. Mallet quickly reported that he had not spent one dime of that money, but Frank did not find that excuse too comforting. Mallet explained to Frank that he had been desperate. He was working three jobs just to pay the medical bills. But they kept arriving, and he was getting deeper into the hole.
Mallet informed Frank that he'd had second thoughts and was not planning to touch the money. Mallet begged Frank to let him keep his job. Frank stated that he did not know what he was going to do yet and walked off. Unbeknownst to them, Dinah had overheard the entire exchange.
After Mallet went inside, Matt rushed outside, and Dinah quickly asked to talk to him. But first she asked a waiter to go find Mallet. Dinah then approached Matt and hit on him, stating that she had reconsidered their previous conversation. Though she was committed to her marriage, she would not want to miss out on something else. Soon after, Mallet walked out and saw Dinah kissing a shirtless Matt.
During all of that, Cyrus had been accepting personal donations and relaying the checking account numbers to Griggs. When Marina asked him how the donations were doing, he begged off the question, stating that someone else was collecting donations. Harley witnessed their proximity to each other and later startled Cyrus by sneaking up on him on the balcony. Harley asked Cyrus what he was up to but soon made it clear that she was talking about Marina. She told him that he was a married man, and what he was doing to her niece was not fair to Alexandra or Marina. It was wrong. Harley told him that he'd broken Marina's heart by marrying Alex.
Later, Marina approached Cyrus and told him that she knew he was relaying account numbers. She stated that it was one thing when she'd thought he was robbing the Spauldings, but she could not let him rob other people. With that, Marina held a gun on him.
