Episode 426
 

The Lights Start Flashing
Written by: Dallas Walsh | Originally Released: September 03, 2017

Episode Theme song: "Youth" Troye Sivan

Previously on One Day at a Time
- Meggan saw the dark figure rush out of the mansion and into the rain storm. Confused by who and what the figure was, Meggan ran out after the person. When Meggan found the figure, lightning flashed and Meggan saw the face of Leah! Meggan was shocked to see Jeff's dead wife
- Paige announced to Jeff, Meggan, Robbie, Victoria and Frederick that she saw Leah
- Trenyce told Jemma that Daisy may need time before she can forgive her
- Craig was upset when Donovan seemingly defended Lukas to him, after Craig was upset that Lukas still come out to Frederick. Lukas, meanwhile, was floored to learn that Frederick was Daisy's father, meaning he and Meggan had a half sister

Scene One - Riverbench Winery; The Richardson Estate; Santa Barbara

The rain continues to come heavily outside as thunder booms in the dark sky. Lightning flashes across the sky as Meggan continues to stand in the garden facing the woman whom looks like Leah. She still can't believe that hours after getting married to Jeff, she is looking at a woman who is a dead ringer for Jeff's dead wife. Nothing is making sense, and the fact that she is standing in the pouring rain doesn't help anything at all. Still, she has to know how any of this is happening or possible.

"That's what they call me," the woman tells Meggan, as thunder booms loudly.

"That's what who call you? What do they call you?" Meggan asks lightning flashes.

"Frederick," the woman continues to tell Meggan. "He calls me Leah."

Meggan suddenly feels dizzy as she is overwhelmed by everything that she is learning. Somehow her father is involved in all of this. Logically that makes sense, since Leah has been staying at their childhood home. But, she can't believe that he would keep this woman here for no reason. Suddenly, she remembers a few months ago when Vinny asked her if she knew anything about a surprise that Frederick was planning for Felicia. Could this possibly be that surprise? Why wouldn't he have come to her with this information if it was not true? She finds the more she's digging the more questions she has.

"Hey, you don't look so good," the woman says back to Meggan. "You should go inside. And I, I should get back."

"Get back to where?" Meggan asks her, still just as confused as ever. "Where are you trying to go? You can't go anywhere! Not until we get to the bottom of this."

***

Inside the mansion, Paige continues to try to get warm by the fire as she explained that she fainted when she was in the west wing earlier in the evening after she thought she saw Leah. Everyone is seemingly in shock by this news because they all know that Leah died over a year ago, so it's impossible for Paige to have seen her mother. As Paige looks into the flames, she realizes that everyone else is probably thinking that she is going crazy, but she knows what she saw. Her Mom is alive and well; this is what she has been praying for since she found out Leah was dead.

She finally turns around as there's another loud crackle of thunder. "I know you think I'm crazy or something," she tells Jeff, Robbie, Victoria and Frederick. "But I'm telling you, I know what I saw."

"What's going on in here?" Dominick asks everyone as he comes into the room, with Eva and Felicia following him as another bolt of lightning flashes across the sky.

"Oh Grand Dad," Paige rushes into his arms, needing someone to believe her story. "I'm so glad that you're here."

"What's wrong darling?" he asks her, as he feels her trembling body against his. "Why are you trembling?"

"It's nonsense," Frederick mumbles to himself, realizing his night is about to go from bad to worse.

"What is going on?" Felicia asks, looking at Frederick then back over at Paige. "Someone tell us what's happened."

"It's my mom," Paige explains as she exits the embrace with Dominick. "I saw her tonight. She's here in the mansion!"

Scene Two - Roboto; Bob's Office; Twin Peaks

Kim slowly walks up to Bob's office, having just dropped Blake off at the daycare that is in the building. She doesn't know what kind of mood her husband will be in because Robertson Enterprises beat Roboto to the punch with releasing their facial cream. Kim knows that Bob is livid about this because they were working so hard on a facial cream as well. Kim also realizes that she can never tell Bob the truth that she is the one who sent Tyler their formula for the facial cream because he would never forgive her. She knows Bob always wants to come out on top with business deals against Robertson Enterprises; his feud with Dominick is at the core of that. And, after everything they have been through, she'd like nothing more than to keep the piece in her marriage.

She opens the door and slowly moves inside the office just as Bob is pouring himself a glass of scotch. "Good evening," he says to her as he looks back at his wife. "Would you care for a drink with me?"

"I'd love one," she admits to him as she throws her purse on the sofa. "I just dropped Blake off at the daycare for a few hours. I thought you could probably use my help around here."

Bob smiles back to her as he passes her a scotch. "You always seem to know exactly what I need," he whispers back to her. "And you're right, I do need your help around here."

"Have you seen any of the sales figures for Robertson's facial cream?" she asks him before she takes a sip of her scotch.

"Not yet," he replies to her. "I would never admit this to anyone else, but I'm almost afraid to see what they are like. I wanted to get our facial cream out first. I'm still in shock that they somehow got the upper hand."

Kim gulps a little as she tries to keep her cool about everything. "Well, I'm just surprised that we were both trying to complete the same product at the same time. What are the odds of that?"

"I have no idea," Bob replies to her quickly before he takes another sip of his scotch. "But, something smells fowl to me. Something isn't right about this entire thing. How did they beat us to the punch when we were so close? I don't know Kimberly, something is off about all of this."

Kim uneasily nods back to him. "What are you going to do?"

Bob arches his eyebrow. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this," he reveals to her. "I'm going to find out what happened, even if it's the last thing I do."

Scene Three - The Sugarbowl

Adam enters the coffeehouse looking for a late night caffeine fix. It's almost the start of the new school year, so he has been putting in extra hours at the school to get ready for the year. And, because he isn't living with Helen anymore, he finds that he can stay up later if he has a late caffeine craving. After he orders his latte, he happens to spot Max sitting at the back booth by himself. He knows that his new found son hasn't exactly been happy that Adam is in his life but he does want that to change. Adam hopes that after he went to see Cassie recently that she will help Max with the adjustment as well; he can't believe that he is putting trust in Cassie, but he doesn't feel like he has any other choices. Regardless, he will try with Max; he has no other choice.

"Hey, can I sit with you for a bit?" Adam asks his son as he arrives at the back booth.

Max looks up from playing a game on his IPhone and finds himself nodding back to his father. "I haven't seen you in a few days, how are things?" Adam asks him, before he takes a drink of his latte.

"Fine," Max replies to him quickly. "Same old, same old."

Adam smirks thinking about how he deals with teenagers all day at work and now he has a difficult one in his life in his son, and he has already been through this with Dawn. "I hope that same old, same old is a good thing?"

Max can't help but give his dad a little grin. "It is a good thing," he replies to him. "I've just been chilling. It's been a good summer for that."

Adam agrees with his son. "You have to enjoy this weather while we have it," Adam tells him. "The winter is long and cold."

"Yea," Max says back to him. "I'm hoping to do some snowboarding this year. I didn't really get the chance last year."

"That sounds fun," Adam tells him. "Maybe we could make a weekend out of it?"

"Yea, maybe," Max replies quickly, unsure if he really wants to spend a weekend with Adam.

"So, what else is on your radar," Adam asks his son, trying to get through to him.

Max shrugs his shoulders. "I dunno," he tells him. "Just been thinking about starting to do something with my life, you know? I need to find a purpose."

Adam feels a sense of pride for his son in the moment. "I'm happy to hear you say that," Adam tells him. "You know, anything you need to find that purpose, I'm here for you. I really am."

"Thanks Adam," Max says back to him.

"Anytime," Adam replies. "But next time, call me Dad."

Scene Four - Riverbench Winery; The Richardson Estate; Santa Barbara

"Jemma, what are you doing here?" Vinny asks her as he opens the door to his bedroom with Daisy after he heard a knock. Another loud crackle of thunder can be heard before Jemma replies to her new son in law.

"I couldn' sleep," she admits to him. "I know it's been a long, emotional night, but I was hopin' to see Miss Daisy," Jemma continues to tell him. "How is she holdin' up?"

Vinny moves outside the room for a moment and partially closes the door so Daisy can't hear him. "She's upset, obviously," he tells Jemma. "The fact that you lied to her for all these years, that's what hurts her."

"I just want her to understand why I did what I did," Jemma replies to him quickly. "I didn' feel like I had much of a choice!"

Thunder booms again before Vinny can reply to her. Daisy comes up to the door and looks into the hallway. "Vinny? Who was at the door?" she asks before she sees Jemma. "Oh, Jemma. What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you," Jemma tells her daughter. "I wanted to say good night."

"Good night," Daisy quickly replies to her before she turns around is about to go back into the bedroom.

"Miss Daisy wait," Jemma calls out to her causing Daisy to stop. "I was hopin' you could give me some kind of sign that you and I are on good terms. Somethin' to give me some kind of hope."

Daisy shuts her eyes for a moment before she turns around to face her mother. "I need time," Daisy admits to her as a tear falls down her eye. "I need time to understand everything that has happened. I need time to process all of this. Please, you have to respect that."

Jemma nods back to her. "Of course I do," she tells Daisy. "Just know that I ain' goin' anywhere. I'm always gonna be here for you."

"On that note," Vinny tells her as another loud boom of thunder can be heard. "Good night."

"Good night," Jemma says back to them, feeling a little better. After all, Daisy didn't reject her.

***

"Lukas," Donovan calls out, only wearing his sweat pants as he came out of his room to grab another bottle of water. He couldn't sleep with the storm occuring, and despite the rain, he feels very warm in his bedroom. He knows it's the humidity causing him to feel so warm. Of course, the amount of champagne he drank too, is probably adding to his dehydration. "Where you are going in such a rush?"

Lukas stops and looks back at Donovan, quickly admiring Donovan's toned chest. He shakes his head for a moment knowing that he can't get caught up in men right now, not after everything that has happened tonight. He can't believe that his father is being accused of raping Jemma, and the fact that Jemma got pregnant as a result. He can't believe that he now has a half-sister in Daisy and a dead half-sister in Danielle. Everything has happened so fast, he feels like his head is still spinning.

Donovan moves closer to his ex-boyfriend and can see the distress on his face. Lightning flashes across the sky before Donovan reaches out to him. "What's wrong? What's happened?"

"You haven't heard?" Lukas asks him as Donovan shakes his head no. "Apparently, years ago, my father and Jemma Davenport had a night together that resulted in pregnancy."

"What?" Donovan asks him shocked.

"Daisy Davenport and her twin sister are my half siblings," Lukas continues to tell his ex, trying to hold it together.

"My God," Donovan whispers back to him. "No wonder you look so shocked. You had no idea?"

"None," Lukas replies to him. "That's my father for you though, always up to something."

"I'm so sorry," Donovan tells him. Neither man spot Craig from the adjacent hallway, coming out of his room. The doctor stops in his tracks when he sees a half-naked Donovan and Lukas talking together, but he freezes and continues to watch the two together. "If I can do anything at all, you know I'm here for you."

Lukas manages to crack a little smile. "Thanks Donovan. I guess I just feel justified in my not telling Frederick about being gay. He's always up to something that leads to trouble. I can't imagine what he would do to me if he knew the truth."

Donovan finds himself nodding back to him. "I hate that you're so troubled by all of this," Donovan tells him.

Lukas fights back some tears in his eyes. "I just wish this family drama would stop."

"I know you do," Donovan tells him as he pulls Lukas into a hug. "Just remember, I'm always here for you."

Across the hall, Craig feels his blood boil at the sight of his new lover in the arms of his ex. Another boom of thunder can be heard, before Craig turns around and moves back to his bedroom, his mind wondering about what to do next.

***

"You saw Leah?" Felicia gasps in shock as she can't believe what Paige just told her. The idea that her daughter is alive is almost too much for her to express. She has no idea how this is possible but she has felt so much guilty for her role in Leah's death that this would be such a grand miracle. "How is any of this possible?"

"I don't know," Paige replies to her as another loud crackle of thunder can be heard. "But I saw her, I saw Mom!"

Robbie moves over to Paige and puts his hand on her shoulder. "Look hun, I know you want your Mom to be back, and you said the other day that you felt her presence here, but do you think you could have dreamed that you saw Leah when you fainted?" He doesn't want to discredit her but he knows that this is impossible.

Paige looks back at Robbie in shock that he doesn't believe her. She then looks over at Dominick, Jeff and Felicia, all of whom seem to be on the same page as Robbie. "You don't believe me, do you? You don't think that I really saw Mom?"

Robbie uneasily looks back at her. "It's not that I don't believe you," he says back to her. "It's that, I was there in Lake Tahoe," he continues to tell her. "I saw the explosion. There's no way she could be alive. I think you just wanted to see her, and that's okay. We just can't mistake our dreams from reality."

Paige shakes her head as she gets tears in her eyes. "It felt so real," she whispers back to everyone. "What's wrong with me? Why is this happening to me?"

Dominick takes Paige over to the sofa to sit her down as Felicia looks over at Frederick. She keeps replaying in her mind Frederick telling her that he has a surprise for her. Could it be real? She asks herself. Is Leah alive and Frederick has kept her in his house all this time? Could Leah be the surprise that Frederick was talking about? She feels overwhelmed by the possibility.

Before she can say anything, Jeff looks at everyone, still worried about his new wife. He knows that it's not possible for Leah to be alive. "I'm going to see if I can find Meggan," he tells them. "You guys can keep an eye on Paige?"

"Of course," Felicia replies to him as lightning illuminates the windows again. "Go find your wife," the words coming out of her mouth suddenly make her realize that things could get complicated if Leah really is alive.

Jeff exits the room and Felicia moves over to Frederick, while Dominick and Robbie still try to comfort Paige on the sofa. Thunder booms loudly as she approaches him. "Was this going to be my surprise?" she asks him, desperate to get to the truth about Leah.

"I'm sorry?" Frederick replies to her. "I'm not sure I understand."

"My daughter," Felicia says back to him. "Is she alive? Was she my surprise that you've been talking about?"

***

Jeff moves into the foyer and sees Brix, the bulter walking through. "Brix, excuse me," Jeff calls out rushing up to him.

"May I help you Mr. Claus?" Brix responds in his British accent.

"Have you see my wife? I can't find Meggan for the life of me," Jeff admits to him as more thunder can be heard.

"I believe I saw her rushing outside," Brix admits to him, recalling the last time he saw Meggan.

"What? In this weather?"

Brix shrugs. "She seemed to be following someone," Brix continues to tell him.

"Okay, thanks," Jeff replies to him as he moves closer to the front door. He looks outside in the pouring rain. "Meggan!" he calls out into the rain. "Where are you? Meggan?"

***

"The west wing," the woman replies to Meggan as lightning flashes across the sky. "I'm staying in the west wing. I wasn't supposed to leave there. I could get into a lot of trouble! If Frederick knew…"

"You can't go back there," Meggan yells through the rain. "We have to get to the bottom of this!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"You're supposed to be dead!" Meggan continues to shout. "How did this happen?"

Just then, Jeff rushes up to Meggan, relieved to find his wife safe and sound. "Meggan, what are you doing out here? You're soaking wet! Why would you be out in this storm?"

Meggan freezes at the sight of Jeff before she turns and looks back at Leah. Lightning flashes again just as Jeff looks at the woman.

He gasps in shock and horror. "My God," he gasps, frozen by the sight in front of him. "Leah?"

Next on One Day at a Time
- Dawn has another therapy session
- Max makes a move to go forward with his life
- Caroline goes into labour

 
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