Ric: Thanks for taking my call, and getting here so quickly.

Elizabeth: Well, you said something about somebody needing medical attention?

Ric: Yes, they do. Come in. I didn't know who else I could call or trust. It's okay.

Elizabeth: What'd you do to her?

Elizabeth: Come with me. Sit down so I can take a look at you.

Ric: I didn't do this -- although with our history, um, it's painfully logical for you to make that leap.

Marianna: No, he didn't touch me. He helped me; maybe he even saved my life.

Elizabeth: Then why didn't you go to the hospital?

Ric: It's okay, we can trust her.

Elizabeth: I'm going to need some warm water and a clean cloth.

Elizabeth: This looks like it might need stitches, but I can't tell until I get it cleaned up. You really need to see a doctor.

Marianna: I can’t.

Elizabeth: Why? Are you in trouble?

Marianna: I didn't do anything wrong, if that's what you mean.

Elizabeth: There's nothing on earth a woman could do to deserve this.

[Elizabeth sighs]

Elizabeth: You don't have to explain. Let me just get this cleaned up.

Marianna: You're very kind. You must be Elizabeth.

----------------------------------

Ric: We pretty much drove all night. There was no place that we could stop that wouldn't involve questions and consequences that Marianna can't afford. Even if they were able to lock up the guy who brought her from Venezuela under false pretenses, they'd still probably hold her somewhere and then ship her out of the country. All of her choices would be gone -- again.

Elizabeth: It's disgusting that any man would hold a woman against her will.

Marianna: Yeah.

Ric: Yeah, look, I'm going to -- um -- I'm going to call in some favors. You know, immigration law is a whole -- whole new ballgame since 9/11. A lot of innocent people are getting hurt. You know, Marianna’s very resourceful and brave. She'd capture the moths in the coffee shop and set them free rather than kill them. You know, that's not exactly the makings of a terrorist.

Elizabeth: This is just an analgesic, but it'll help with the pain, but you really need to lie down and rest.

Marianna: Okay.

Ric: And don't worry about Randy, okay?

Marianna: You don't know him.

Ric: He doesn't know me, right? Look, there's a -- there's a guestroom back there, it's quiet, nobody will bother you. You can take a bath if you want to -- there's lavender soap in the cabinet.

Marianna: Thank you so much.

Elizabeth: You're welcome.

Elizabeth: Well, for all you know about her, she doesn't really know you at all, does she?

------------------------

Ric: Well, Marianna knows all about my ugly past with my brother, my father, this town and pretty much everybody in it. But she didn't care. All that mattered to her was who I was when we met.

Elizabeth: "Met"?

Ric: Yeah, I went to Martha’s Vineyard. I -- uh -- I wanted to stir up some old ghosts and see if they looked any differently to me. You know, I -- I can't change what I've done, Elizabeth, only where I go from here.

Elizabeth: Which is?

Ric: Hmm. Well, just before I left town, Skye gave me Alcazar's waterfront property. Hmm -- it's kind of like giving the devil a stick of dynamite, isn't it?

Elizabeth: Maybe worse.

Ric: Oh. So, that's the second time that you've not given me the benefit of the doubt today.

Elizabeth: Well, can you blame me?

Ric: No. How's Jason?

Elizabeth: What does that matter?

Ric: Well, you were in love with him, right? Probably still in love with him. I was more than half convinced that Jake was his child.

Elizabeth: Where are you going with this?

Ric: If Jason were to leave Sonny tomorrow and run off with you, have this big, beautiful, peaceful life, would you want everybody else to judge him for what he'd done?

Elizabeth: That's different.

Ric: No, it's not. It's only different in the eyes of the person who believes in him and loves him. Only in the eyes of the person who loves them and hopes that they can change, and hopes that the change can stick. I used to see that look in your eyes -- of love, trust.

Elizabeth: But you killed it.

Ric: For me.

Elizabeth: Is that what Marianna is -- a second chance at salvation for you?

Ric: No. No, that has to come from me.

Elizabeth: It's kind of funny you met her in a coffee shop --

Ric: Hmm.

Elizabeth: Just like you met me.

Ric: Yep.

Elizabeth: I guess you want history to repeat itself.

Ric: No. All I want from Marianna is to be treated with kindness and respect. I'm helping her, Elizabeth, because I can, not because I want anything from her in return.

Elizabeth: That would be a first.

Ric: Yeah, it would.

------------------------------

Ric: I thought you were upstairs.

Marianna: I was restless.

Ric: Well, here. I made you some hot milk with a little drop of vanilla in it. You said that you liked that when you were a kid, right?

Marianna: Thank you. You must be a very good lawyer -- you remember everything a person says.

Ric: Well, no information is useless -- especially when you can use it to help somebody feel better.

Marianna: Hmm.

Ric: Not exactly what I'm used to doing.

Marianna: Well, I remember things, too, you know? Elizabeth -- she's the one chance you said you had at love?

Ric: Mm-hmm.

Marianna: And you still love her?

Ric: I will always have a fondness in my heart for Elizabeth. That's all.

Marianna: She doesn't trust you.

Ric: Yeah. Well, I've given her a lot of reasons not to. You know, when you love somebody that much and they betray you, it's almost impossible to go back. Yeah, I can see that look in your eye -- that's a completely foreign concept to you.

Marianna: Oh, no, I've -- I've done my share of betrayals to survive.

Ric: Yeah, you know what? We all have. Just the ones that we do to the people that only want to love us -- those become the big black marks against us.

Marianna: I -- I got to get dressed. I'm not used to, like, being in my robe all day.

Ric: Oh, well, you know, those close -- they had blood on them, so I -- I took the sizes off the labels and I sent out for some new things.

Marianna: You can't keep doing this.

Ric: No, no, no. Until you can come up with a legitimate, logical reason not to, that's exactly what I'm going to do. See? I knew you couldn’t. I can't, either, so I'm going to go take a shower. Your things will be here. I hope you like the color.

Marianna: Anything will be fine.

Ric: No, just anything wouldn't be good enough for you.

----------------

[Knock on door]

Marianna: Oh -- oh.

Trevor: You work fast, don't you? But apparently you have forgotten just exactly who you're working for.

Ric: Is there a problem here?