Lauralee Bell (1983 to December 2000; July 24th and July 25th 2001; November 2001; March 2002; June to September 2002 ; January 2003 to January 2005; January 2005 - Present [Recurring])
Nicknames
Cricket
The Bug (by Phyllis Summers)
Kelly Simmons (disguise)
Lifeline
Born in 1970, since she revealed she was 16 years old in 1986.
Occupation
Legal Partner in Baldwin, Blair, and Associates
Former Assistant District Attorney
Former Partner in Baldwin & Williams Attorneys At Law
Former Attorney for Newman Enterprises
Attorney formerly with Whitman, Walker, and Wilson Law Firm
Former Legal aid attorney
Former teen model for Jabot Junior Cosmetics
Dr. Jim Grainger (father; deceased)
Jessica Blair Abbott (mother; deceased; of AIDS)
Scott Grainger (half-brother; deceased)
Scotty Grainger Jr. (half-nephew)
Joe Blair (uncle)
Daniel Romalotti Jr. (Godson)
Numerous breaking and enterings in her unlicensed detective forays
Brief Character History
Known as Cricket, she was introduced by her photographer cousin Joe as a teen model at Jabot Cosmetics. She began her long career of saving people in distress by lecturing a pregnant Nina Webster about how to live her life. She was engaged to Phillip Chancellor III until she caught him in her own bed with her best friend Nina.
Cricket was date-raped by Derek Stuart, who met his end jumping out a window to avoid prison. This experience turned her from modeling to becoming a lawyer and returning to her given name of Christine. Sexually harassed by Michael Baldwin when they were attorneys together at the prestigious Whitman, Walker, and Wilson law firm, she trapped him by taping their conversations, which caused Michael to be fired. He then stalked her, dug through the wall from the next door apartment, and held her captive. She was saved by Paul Williams and Nathan Hastings, and Baldwin was put in prison. Chris became engaged to Scott Grainger until she found out they had the same father.
Christine married longtime friend, rock star Danny Romalotti. She divorced Danny when he had an affair with Phyllis Summers, and supposedly got Phyllis pregnant. Chris often worked on cases with Paul Williams, such as the time they flew to Vietnam to find Jack Abbot's long-lost son, Keemo. She helped Margaret and Miles fight their slumlord, and win decent housing for Rainbow Garden's tenants. Chris and John Silva defended April Lynch, who was accused of murdering her abusive husband. She also discovered Victor's shooting assailant Mari Jo Mason, but was kidnapped by her. Christine enjoyed working as a legal aide Attorney, assisting victims of rape, spousal abuse, and bad landlords. She also represented Victor Newman in his divorce from Diane Jenkins, and Sharon Newman with regaining custody of her child Cassidy.
On Chris and Paul's wedding day, Phyllis Romalotti ran them down with a car, leaving Paul impotent. Once Paul recovered, the postponed wedding still almost never happened after Paul walked in on Chris and Danny's sexual encounter. Chris managed to choose between them, and married Paul. They agreed they both wanted children but had trouble conceiving once they finally put her career aside long enough to try.
Michael Baldwin convinced Christine that he was a changed man, so she testified for him and he was paroled under Chris's watchful eye. The cocky and very successful Michael was a constant thorn in Christine's side, but somehow convinced her to join him in starting a Law practice together. The practice was so successful that she again has put having a family on hold, causing a great rift in her marriage. In a desperate attempt to mend their marriage while still furthering her career, Christine took a case in Hong Kong which would mean moving there for months. Paul first balked at the idea, then decided to "do it for them", put HIS career on hold and move. But at the last minute, Paul backed out, so Christine lived in Hong Kong for months on her own with very little contact. Christine was offered a case in Australia when the Hong Kong case was finished, but she turned it down and was determined to go home to Genoa City and try to mend her shattered marriage. She arrived at the apartment only to find Paul in the arms of his new client Isabella. Without a word to Paul, she accepted the case in Australia and filed for, and was soon granted, a divorce.
Isabella didn't want to tell Paul that she was pregnant because she felt that he was too hung up on Chris, so she had a brief affair with Michael and told him that he was the father. Michael was outraged at first, even drew up legal papers for her sign. But Isabella had something on Michael from the past, so he backed down and went along with her demands of rent, baby furniture, and everything she needed to live until the baby was born. Michael also arranged for a job for her in another town for afterward. Just as Michael was softening to the idea of a child and a future with Isabella, and Paul was getting involved with former wife Lauren Fenmore, Paul found out about the baby's paternity and wanted to be a father to the child. With this major lie Isabella fell out of grace with both Michael and Mary.
Paul moved in with Isabella and continued to use her manipulating ways to keep him under her thumb as tightly as possible. Paul's mother, Mary, went to great lengths to try to convince him that Isabella was all wrong for him and will ruin his life, and to convince Isabella to go away to a home for unwed mothers. All despite the fact that Isabella is providing Mary with the grandchild, and Paul with the child, they both have always wanted. Mary has even begged for help from unlikely sources in Lauren, Christine, and even Michael - all of whom she disapproves as well, but had had no luck at all. But Paul moved out on his own volition when Isabella started pressuring him to get married. Their baby boy, Ricardo Carl Williams, was born, but unlike Isabella's delusions, Paul was not willing to become one happy family with her. Complicating things was the sudden return of Christine, who rebuffed him for the baby's sake, although she still had feelings for Paul. Paul's response was to marry Isabella.
Christine spent long hours working with Michael Baldwin and they became closer, sharing dinners and their feelings together. They finally broached the subject of their past, and although Chris agrees Michael is a changed man, it still haunts her. That and her still lingering feelings for Paul made it rough on Michael. But Christine decided to put the past behind her and accepted Michael's marriage proposal. Paul invited Isabella's estranged father Ricardo to Ricky's Christening, and they happily reunited. Michael showed up, asked Ricardo not to mention they knew each other or Isabella's past, then announced his engagement to Chris, much to Paul's rage! Paul attacked Michael, who left with a black eye. Paul showed up at Chris's apartment and forced himself on her. At one point she reciprocated, cut to commercial, then we see Paul leaving a devastated-looking Christine, saying he was sorry about everything. Was it rape? (She never said No - just We shouldn't.) Or was it two people who love each other, but have screwed up their lives to the point where they cannot be together? The next morning Christine tracked Paul down to a deserted beach in LA where she initiated sex herself. Later Chris disappeared, leaving both Michael and Paul wondering." Chris was gone for months when the guilt got to Paul, and he told Isabella that he and Chris had sex that night. Isabella left him, only returning occasionally to see Ricky.
Chris returned in disguise as the dark-haired mysterious Kelly Simmons, bent on getting the goods on Isabella. Paul saw through Chris' disguise, and they came to an understanding about the "rape", but Paul chose Isabella and his son. Paul took Ricky to Isabella's parents in Los Angeles, leaving her to finish packing for their move there. Just before they were to be married, Michael confessed to Chris that he set up Isabella to meet Paul so she and Paul would split for good, then Michael could have Chris. Chris exploded, walked out on Michael, and flew to LA to tell Paul the whole story. She found Paul camping on a beach, told him the truth, and they ended up making love in the sand. Upon their return to Genoa City, Paul moved back into their former apartment with Chris, while Isabella plotted revenge
One night Isabella called her only friend Diane who was with Michael, telling them someone was breaking in then screamed. When Michael arrived he found what appeared to be a bloody murder scene and Isabella missing. Christine woke up unconscious in her car in the woods and told Michael and Paul of her only memory - Isabella screaming not to hurt her, of blood, and a boat. Michael tracked down the boat, which was covered in blood, and destroyed the evidence against Chris. The night before Chris was to be arrested for Isabella's murder, she was attacked in her bathtub by a very much alive Isabella who had drugged her wine, telling her how she had set her up, while wielding a butcher knife. Paul arrived in the nick of time, slugged and knocked out. As he was reviving the nearly drowned Christine, Michael arrived and saved them both from the crazed Isabella. The cops arrived and hauled Isabella away. She was committed to a mental hospital, and Paul and Chris were free to be together once again. Michael apologized to Chris for all the misery he's caused her, she forgave him, and they are still close friends.
Paul moved in with Christine, and soon proposed. Christine laughed, didn't take it seriously, so Paul moved out. Not long afterward, X-husband Danny returned to Genoa City to lend moral support to help Gina get her life back together after the devastating loss of her restaurant by arson. Of course the first person he visited was Christine. They were seeing a lot of each other again, while Paul was seeing his X, Lauren Fenmore. Christine had to break up the law partnership when she went to work as an Assistant DA on a recommendation of Victor Newman. Who did her first case turn out to be? - prosecuting Victor Newman for commercial bribery with Michael as his bagman. Although Michael offered to take the rap, Victor insisted he make a deal with the DA's office to hopefully save his legal career. Michael did, and Victor was arrested and jailed the day before Christmas and refused bail. Victor was found guilty and in a last ditch attempt to keep from going to prison, offered Jack $75 million to settle. Jack laughed in his face as it was nowhere near what they lost. Victor was sentenced to do some major community service. Victor was told to come up with something spectacular for his Community Service project. He found a derelict former paint factory in a seedy part of town, and financed and supervised it's renovation into the Market Street Recreation Center with the help of neighborhood volunteers and young adult children of the Genoa City wealthy. Christine finally realized she wasn't cut out to be a prosecutor, and went back into partnership with Michael Baldwin, and on a whim, asked Paul to come into the firm with them as their in-house investigator. Paul, who was getting along much better with Michael these days, accepted, and so began Baldwin, Williams, and Associates.
Daniel Romalotti returned to Genoa City, a 16 year old with raging hormones, to visit his father Danny for spring break. Phyllis ran into Daniel at Crimson Lights, realized who he was, and began making contact. She told Daniel she was his mother, and eventually he asked her to tell him the truth about his family. Once Daniel heard Phyllis's side and discovered that Danny was not his real father, he took off to confront Danny and Christine, who had resumed their romance. Daniel decided he and Phyllis should move in together so they could bond. Unable to find a suitable apartment, Phyllis and Daniel moved into Victoria Newman's house on the Newman Ranch. After being exposed as a neglectful parent who dumped the kid in boarding school his entire life, Danny went back on tour.
Through a tragic turn of events, [see Cassie Newman profile] Daniel was charged with vehicular manslaughter in the death of Cassie Newman, and Christine is his attorney. Both Christine and Phyllis contacted Danny about it. But when Daniel and Lily Winters ran away together, Danny stayed put in case they fled to him. Lily was out on bail, and Daniel went on trial for vehicular manslaughter where Christine and Paul failed to prove that Cassie was driving the car. Daniel was in contact with Danny by phone and begged him to stay away. But in a last minute save, Nick Newman turned over the evidence he'd been withholding - the clothes Cassie was wearing that fateful night. The boot she was wearing matched a piece of a heel found under the accerator, and the judge let Daniel go free. Lily's parents made a deal to send her away to boarding school in New Hampshire to get the DA to drop the charges against her.
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