Guest Stars: James Gallanders (Rod Archer/Cole); Fulvio Cecere (Marco Silvestri); Joseph Di Mambro (DeSoto - Silvestri’s Goon)

Co-Stars: Janet Bailey (Agent Martha Kenny); Jeff Ironi (Agent Craig Barlow); Jennifer Foster (Laura Halpern)

Originally Aired: 14-Jan-2002; Written by: Tracey Forbes; Directed by: George Mendeluk

Synopsis: This episode has nothing to do with aliens but serves to demonstrate that Mel had a real life and has deeply loved long before she ever met Cole – and although her love has been lost to her, she’s still very much affected by him. All through it, she plainly shows that she’s a strong and capable lady with the wit and resolve to be a real live partner. It’s good stuff!

Mel’s honest concern for Rod, even after she discovers that he married someone else, is heart wrenching. Watching Cole find a way to trap the crime boss is fun, and his return to his own form, as well as all the tender moments between Mel and Cole in between, her growing realization that she’s beginning to care a great deal for this alien, are all very well done.

What also impressed was how well Adrian had developed the character of Cole during the first six episodes. When he became ‘Rod’ one could still see Cole in the attitude, mannerisms, etc. It’s a tribute to Adrian who established who Cole is so one could continue to see him, even when in another form. Plus, James Gallanders did a fantastic job maintaining Cole’s persona, voice inflections and body movements. Even the look in the eyes was there.

———————————————————————

The episode begins at night in the closed Watchfire with Vic sitting on a barstool yakking away as Mel is busy with a heavy cleaning. Jess is seen in the background, also cleaning up a storm.

Knowing Vic as well as she does, Mel’s beginning to become impatient as he babbles on about an actor who was going through chemotherapy while sick as a dog, yet going on to star in five more films and writing his memoirs, all at the same time.

Mel: "So, spill."

Vic: "What do you mean?"

Mel: "I mean ... you have been going on about your channel-surfing experience for like an hour now, and I need to get to your barstool."

He scratches his chin and makes an inarticulate sound as she holds up a spray bottle.

Mel: "Okay ... Do you want to tell me what’s on your mind?"

Vic, reluctantly: "Well ... It’s about Rod."

Mel, after a long silence: "Rod."

Vic: "Yes."

Mel: "That’s what this is about..."

Vic: "Yeah."

Mel: "Do you know something?"

Vic: "No. No, it’s ... it’s nothing like that ... I have no new leads ... It’s ... it’s ... uh ... look ..."

Mel: "Vic! Spit it out!"

Vic: "How long has he been missing, Mel?"

Mel: "Two years!"

Vic: "Two years. Exactly. So I thought ... maybe ... you might have thought about ... you know ... hiring a private investigator."

Mel, despairing: "You’re giving up on him."

Vic: "No, it’s ... No, it’s not that simple, Mel."

Mel, becoming agitated: "Vic! Rod is still alive! He’s out there! I know that!"

Vic: "And I haven’t had a solid lead in two years, Mel! Try to understand!"

Mel, hurt and disgruntled: "So his case is officially on the back burner."

Vic: "Along with the investigation of the murder of his business partner! Look, Mel. This is not my decision, all right? This came down from the Captain ... Mel, listen to me ... Mel! ... Listen to me ... Please ... I will continue ... to look for Rod ... on my own time. All right?"

She slowly nods as his pager goes off and he pulls it out to check the number.

Mel: "You gotta go."

Vic, putting his pager away: "No! No, forget about this! Forget about this!"

Mel: "Look, Vic. I’ll be fine."

Vic: "No, look. I will do everything ..."

Mel: "No. Really. Go."

Vic, understanding: "I’ll call you in the morning."

Mel: "Okay."

[Vic is really quite a guy. He’s deeply in love with Mel, yet he’s still willing to do his damnest to reunite her with Rod Archer, the man he knows she’ll always love more than him and would leave him for if he did].

As soon as Vic leaves, Mel pulls an old cardboard box out from under the bar, takes out a framed photograph of her and Rod together, and sadly stares at it. She then puts the picture back in the box and goes upstairs.

Off to the side around the pool table, Cole had been helping out with the cleaning and he’s now overheard and seen all of this. He goes over to check out the box and finds the picture. He saw, heard and felt her pain and well understands what she must be going through.

He then shape-shifts himself to look just like Rod.

[It's a mystery how Cole managed to exactly duplicate Rod’s voice, build and height when only working from a shoulder-head shot of him in the picture. Alien magic, maybe? And where was Jess when he transformed? A few moments ago she was seen in the background cleaning].

———————————————————————

Mel is now in her robe and morosely lying on her bed, cuddling a stuffed lamb. She hears the stairwell door open and looks up to see ‘Rod’. She rises in shocked disbelief as he walks toward her.

Rod/Cole: "Hi, Mel."

A dozen conflicting emotions are playing across her features. She reaches out an unsteady hand to gingerly touch him on the chest and quickly jerks it back with a gasp, as if he might vanish.

Mel: "Do you know how many times I’ve done that!?" She nervously laughs. "And then you always turn away for a moment and disappear ... And then I always wake up."

Rod/Cole: "Mel, I..."

Mel: "Rod! Oh my God! ... Rod, you’re back! ... Where were you? Are ... are you all right? Did somebody hurt you?"

Rod/Cole: "No, I - I - I..."

Mel: "No! No! It’s fine! Don’t speak! ... Oh, just..."

She rushes to embrace him, but after a few moments realizes that something’s not right. For one thing, he’s wearing Cole’s clothes. For another, he isn’t returning her embrace. For yet another, his scent is probably different. Realization dawns and she pulls away.

Mel: "Cole?"

Rod/Cole: "Yes"

Mel, pulling back even further, upset: "I don’t believe this!"

Rod/Cole: "I transformed."

Mel: "You what!?"

Rod/Cole: "I thought you ... understood the transformation process."

Mel, voice rising: "I get the damn process, Cole!" She turns her back on him, trying to regain control of herself. "Why on Earth would you do this?"

Rod/Cole: "I heard you talking about Rod."

Mel: "You were eavesdropping!"

Rod/Cole: "I heard everything. I thought I would give you a chance to see Rod again."

Mel: "Yeah, well ... I’ll take Cole back now, thanks!"

Rod/Cole: "I can’t."

Mel: "Now!!"

Rod/Cole: "I’m afraid it’s not that easy."

Mel, tears starting to well: "This is not happening!"

Rod/Cole: "The transformation could last a few hours ... Or a ... few days. I don’t have control over it yet ... I’m sorry, Mel."

Sobbing, she runs out of the room.

———————————————————————

Later, a much calmer Mel comes into the War Room, having realized that Cole had only transformed himself for her sake. Unfortunately, not yet knowing much about Human emotions at this stage in his development, he’d inadvertently hurt her feelings with his misguided impersonation.

Mel: "You did a good job."

Rod/Cole: "Thank you, Mel. The alien I captured yesterday was a very dangerous Enixian."

Mel: "Not that, Cole ... You did a good job with Rod ... You got the sparkle in the eyes ... and the beginnings of crows-feet ... You look just like him."

Rod/Cole: "I was thinking ... What if I retraced Rod’s last steps? Maybe I could find..."

Mel: "Cole ... I appreciate the thought. I do. But this is not an alien hunt. This is ... this was the most important Human in my life. This is different."

Rod/Cole: "How?"

Mel: "It just is."

Rod/Cole: "I thought I might just take a look around a little ... If that’s okay with you."

Mel, considering a moment: "Maybe you can do that." She nervously moves to leave, stopping in the doorway to look back at him. "Good night ... Cole."

Rod/Cole: "Good night, Mel."

In a moment, he has a page from the Chicago Telegraph up on his computer screen: ‘Club Owner Missing After Partner’s Brutal Murder."

———————————————————————

Mel brings Cole to the park where she and Rod last saw each other.

Rod/Cole: "... And so where was the last place you saw him?"

Rod/Cole: "And then what?"

Mel: "Um ... We finished eating ... and ... he left around eight ... I decided to stick around because there was this beautiful sunset then..."

Rod/Cole: "According to the police report, Rod arrived at his restaurant at a quarter after ten on the night he went missing ... So, where could he have been in between eight and ten?"

Mel: "He went to the gym ... I thought you said you read the police report."

Rod/Cole: "I did ... No one ... saw him at the gym." He starts walking fast.

Mel: "Cole..."

Rod/Cole: "The police never knew for sure if Rod went to the gym before he went to his restaurant. They assumed he did entirely based on what you told them."

Mel, hurrying to keep up: "Well, I only told them what he told me." Rod/Cole has stopped and is passing a glowing hand over the back railing of a park bench. "What are you doing?"

Rod/Cole: "Not many people would be here past twilight ... It would be a private place for Rod to meet someone."

Mel: "Meet someone? ... Meet who?"

Rod/Cole: "Maybe I can find that out." He breaks off the railing.

Mel: "You can’t do that!"

With an exasperated sigh, she follows him.

———————————————————————

Back in the War Room, Rod/Cole has put the railing into a long, tube-like thing...

Mel: "What is this thing?"

Rod/Cole: "It’s a Digital Pattern Analyzer."

On the computer screen, there’s a search mode going on for December 9, 1999.

Mel: "Are those fingerprints?"

Rod/Cole: "From every person who touched ... the railing ever since the last time it was cleaned."

Mel: "Which was probably never ... The images are so bright."

Rod/Cole: "The program uses a much higher resolution than normal to get the detail of the images."

One by one eliminating the fingerprints, the program focuses on two of them from December 9, 1999 as to the time of 8:36 P.M.

Mel: "Incredible ... Can you ID them?"

A match for the first print comes up on screen for Rod on a Voluntary Fire Arms Identification card showing his picture and his fingerprints.

Mel: "He was there! ... Rod was there ... I thought he was ... Wait a minute. Why would Rod have fingerprints on file? Where did you get this?"

Rod/Cole: "The Metro PD data base ... He applied for a concealed weapons permit. The prints were required."

Mel: "A gun! Why would he need a ... Why would Rod need a gun?"

Rod/Cole: "Maybe for protection ... He had a partner who was in trouble."

Mel, picking up the framed photo of her and Rod: "How did you know? ... About the park, I mean?"

Rod/Cole: "I didn’t. Not for certain." He indicates the picture. "But here you’re looking at him. He’s looking toward the path. He seems to have something other than you on his mind."

Mel, digesting that with difficulty: "Who does the other print belong to?"

Rod/Cole, as a match comes up on screen of a wanted poster, a man whose major listed crime is cocaine smuggling with suspicions of murder: "Marco Silvestri."

Mel: "Who’s that?"

Rod/Cole: "I don’t know. But he has been arrested."

———————————————————————

Downstairs, Nestov is playing pool as Rod/Cole comes up behind him.

Nestov, to other player: "Ooooh! Not bad! Not bad, my man! A little bit more of a backspin might have set you up with a better lead, but hey! You do your thing, I’ll do my thing."

Rod/Cole: "I need help."

Nestov, not recognizing him: "Yeah, we all need help, pal. But this ain’t a school. You want to play, you put the money down and I’ll get around to you."

Rod/Cole: "Nestov ... It’s me."

Nestov, cautious pause: "Me who?"

Rod/Cole, placing his hand on the back of Nestov’s neck: "Remind you of anyone?"

Nestov: "Cole?" He nods and turns to lead Nestov off to the side. "Ooooo! Look at yourself, man! You’re looking good, man! Much better than your old self, man! I like it! I like it! Whose body is it? Tell me! Whose..."

Rod/Cole, taking Nestov by the neck again: "Never mind. I need to ask you a favor."

Nestov: "All right, that’s cool ... But look, man. I’m having a good run here. Okay? Or at least I was until you showed up."

Rod/Cole: "Seems you picked up the game pretty quickly."

Nestov: "Yeah, well. I’m a Desserian. I pick up things pretty quickly, you know."

Rod/Cole: "Seems very fast, even for you."

Nestov: "Well, what can I say? Maybe I’m a natural. Maybe ... my Human host was a pool champion or something."

Rod/Cole: "Or maybe your skill has a little to do with the device I saw you place under the table earlier."

Nestov, disgruntled: "I got a shot to line up."

Rod/Cole: "Nestov..."

Nestov, angrily enunciating: "I GOT a shot to line up!"

He goes and takes his shot, but a glow from Rod/Cole’s hand foils it. Nestov glares at him.

Rod/Cole: "It appears you’re not playing so well."

Nestov, leading him back over to the side: "You did that on purpose! I could’ve had this game wide if it wasn’t for you! Know what I’m saying? ... Look, look, look, look! This could turn into a huge profit machine as I don’t actually have the cash to pay up if I lose."

Rod/Cole, hands him Silvestri’s wanted printout: "I need you to find out everything you can about this man."

Nestov: "Who is it?"

Rod/Cole: "His name is Marco Silvestri. And note any connection to a man named Rod Archer or a restaurant called ‘Mott’s’ [‘Mock’s’?]".

Nestov: "Right ... Oh, you wouldn’t happen to have an extra two hundred bucks on you, would you?" Cole turns and glares at him. "Oh, okay. I’ll just take that as a no. I’m gonna play some pool. I’ll catch you."

———————————————————————

Upstairs, Mel opens her closet, taking out a garment bag she has of Rod’s clothes. She places it on her bed and opens it, bringing a shirt up to her face to breathe in his lingering scent. Rod/Cole then walks in.

Mel, going up to him and handing him the shirt: "Here, put this on ... You want to go around looking like Rod, you have to complete the package."

She turns around, stunned at seeing him stripped to the waist.

Mel: "Yeah ... just ... put it on."

Having a hard time handling it, she quickly walks out of the room.

———————————————————————

Rod/Cole needs to know more and goes to the restaurant ‘he’ used to own. The restaurant has been taken over by Silvestri’s people, who then notify the mobster, "You’ll never believe what just showed up here!"

Told that DeSoto wants to see him outside, Rod/Cole goes through the kitchen and out back into the alley as a car drives up. Silvestri and DeSoto get out of the car and approach him, DeSoto walking around behind him to slug him in the kidneys and drop him to his knees.

As Silvestri pulls a gun, DeSoto remarks, "Who would’ve thought a hit would’ve been such a walk in the park?"

With a quick bit of alien calisthenics/martial arts, however, Rod/Cole brings both of them down in a heap on top of each other before they know what hit them, then calmly walks away.

———————————————————————

Back at the Watchfire...

Mel: "He tried to kill you!?"

Rod/Cole: "Yes, Mel. Silvestri does not want Rod alive."

Rod/Cole: "So, you know nothing of his involvement with this man?"

Mel: "No, nothing."

Rod/Cole: "And what about his restaurant partner?"

Mel: "I had my suspicions at the time that maybe he was involved with some shady business on the side, but ... I know that Rod wasn’t involved with any of that."

Rod/Cole: "He was the most important person in your life and you never asked him about any of it?"

Mel, becoming upset: "No, I didn’t! Cole! Don’t you think that I have wondered ... that maybe he was in trouble and maybe I could’ve known that and that maybe if I did know that I could’ve..."

Rod/Cole, soothing: "You are not to blame, Mel."

Mel, softly, almost sobbing: "I just ... wish that ... that I ... could’ve..."

Rod/Cole, coming beside her and gently stroking her throat: "It’s not your fault."

She begins to calm.

One can see his compassion and his almost shy affection and desire for her in his eyes here and, at the same time, see his uncertainty, restraint and confusion as to how all that should be expressed – or even if it should be expressed at all.

Just then Nestov comes in with news.

Nestov: "Oooh! You would not believe this! You won’t! You will not believe this!"

Rod/Cole: "Nestov, what did you get?"

Nestov: "This is big! This is big! I mean, man, what I know about Marco Silvestri! It’s..."

Rod/Cole: "Tell me!"

Nestov: "He’s a gangster ... A mobster ... Mafia ... Wise guy ..." Mel is looking more and more shocked and hurt with every word. "Come on! You know! Oh, God, I’m telling you, man, this guy is a real psycho! This dude’s got this diamond ring that the Godfather gave him. This ring is worth so much money but he doesn’t bother taking it off if, you know, he’s got someone with late payments and stuff. This guy is wanted in connection to at least twenty murders in Chicago within the last five years! Boom!"

Rod/Cole: "And what about Rod Archer?"

Nestov: "Okay! My sources confirm ... that Silvestri and the Chicago mob have long-time dealings with the Mott’s restaurant."

Mel: "And what about Rod Archer?"

Nestov: "Well, the night that his partner was killed, Silvestri shot him, too. I mean, he’s not going to leave a witness standing. I mean, the word is, Archer is dead."

Stunned and grief-stricken, realizing that she didn’t know Rod as well as she thought she did, Mel hurries upstairs without a word.

Nestov, as Rod/Cole glares at him. "Okay. What?"

Rod/Cole follows Mel upstairs, finding her pounding and fluffing sofa cushions in the living room.

Mel: "Okay. For now forget the decades of therapy it’s going to take for me to get over the guilt ... It’s better to know ... Right? ... I mean, to really know that ... Rod ... is..."

Rod/Cole: "You can’t always believe the things that Nestov tells you, Mel. Would you rather believe that ... that Rod is gone? ... That he’s dead? Than have some hope that he may still be alive?"

Mel: "Yes! ... It’s time for me to stop kidding myself! And just move on!"

Mel, after a pause: "No." She looks at him gratefully. "Thanks."

Rod/Cole: "You’re welcome, Mel."

She reaches up and lightly caresses his cheek in gratitude.

———————————————————————

Rod/Cole walks out of the Watchfire just as Jess is coming in.

Jess: "Mmmm! Mmm! Who was that!?"

Mel: "Co–" She catches herself and pretends to cough. "Excuse me ... Just a friend."

Jess, starting to help take the barstools down from the bar: "Oh, really? ... Well, he looks like that guy in the picture. You know. Your ex-boyfriend."

Mel: "No he didn’t."

Jess: "Did so."

Mel, conceding: "Maybe a little."

Jess: "What’s going on, Mel?"

Mel: "Nothing."

Jess: "That is what you always say! ... So, when do I get to play scooby doo?"

Mel: "Scooby doo?"

Jess: "How should I know? Weird stuff has been happening ever since Cole arrived here. What’s he really about, anyway?"

Mel: "Is that my phone ringing? I think that’s my phone ringing!"

She runs upstairs to Jess’ indulgent chuckle.

———————————————————————

Rod/Cole goes back to Mott’s to see Silvestri, finding DeSoto and another goon there. After saying that he must have the I.Q. of a jellyfish and some other insulting remarks, they jump him, but Rod/Cole is easily able to throw them into the rest of the garbage in the alley.

As two more goons come running to take him on, a silver car screeches to a stop out by the curb and the woman driver holds out the ID of an FBI agent.

Agent Martha Kenny: "Get in the car! Get the hell in the car!!"

He does.

After being certain they weren’t tailed and after changing cars, Rod/Cole is given an angry dressing-down by Agent Martha Kenny while Agent Craig Barlow sits in the front seat, basically just watching and listening.

The FBI has been keeping Mott’s restaurant under heavy surveillance to build their case against Silvestri and they are not at all happy with him showing up there.

Agent Martha Kenny: "What the hell did you think you were doing? Huh!? ... I mean, I can’t believe you’ve risked everything we’ve worked towards the last two years! Not to mention your status in Witness Protection! The agreement was Rod Archer becomes Ross Halpern. New house, new life – and you stay in hiding until we nail Silvestri. That was the agreement!"

They drive him ‘home’ to a house in the small town of Juniper, fifty miles southwest of Chicago and tell him to stay away from the City. They remind him that people are counting on him to remain safe, especially the people there in that house.

[Note: Neither Agent Martha Kenny’s name or Agent Craig Barlow’s first name are given in the episode, but they’re listed as being such in the guest cast].

———————————————————————

Back at the Watchfire, Mel is unable to reach Cole on his cell phone.

Mel, worried: "I can’t get a hold of him. What if I got him in trouble?"

Nestov: "Cole’s a big Cirronian. He can take care of himself ... Now, close your eyes."

Mel: "Excuse me?"

Nestov: "Just close your eyes and put out your hands."

Mel: "Why?"

Nestov: "It’ll take just a second ... Keep your eyes closed!"

He slips something into her hands.

Mel: "What am I holding?"

Nestov: "My balls ... How do they feel?"

Mel: "Like pool balls."

Nestov: "Okay ... Now, roll them around ... Squeeze them ... Does one feel heavier than the other?"

Mel: "Yeah."

Nestov: "Damn!!"

Mel: "What did you do?"

Nestov: "Well, I filled one with mercury ... Mercury helps guide the ball ... Guarantees the pocket drop with each shot."

Mel: "You’re hustling a pool scam in my bar!?"

Nestov: "It’s a business opportunity!"

Mel: "It’s ripping off my customers!"

Nestov: "I was gonna cut you in for half!"

Mel: "Nestov! Get out of here!"

Nestov: "Sixty / forty!"

Mel: "Out!!"

Nestov: "All right! You tell me what I deserve!"

Mel: "That’s it!"

Nestov: "What?"

Nestov: "Okay! ... I’m outta here!" Disgruntled, he hurriedly leaves.

Mel, plaintively to the air: "Cole! ... Where are you?"

———————————————————————

Rod/Cole has just entered the home of Rod/Ross.

Laura, calling out from another room: "Ross? It that you?"

Rod/Cole, to himself: "Ross..."

[Cole’s reaction to the baby was really well done. How would a being from another world react when confronted with an infant of a different species? He was gentle, curious and in awe. His eyes lit up as he savored every second he held onto her. It was all about him recapturing what Rhee had so cruelly stolen from him. The look on his face, gently touching the baby’s head and breathing in the baby’s scent ... (Obviously, the diaper had just been changed!). He even seemed reluctant to let her go. One just knows that this is much how Daggon was with his own daughter].

On a living room end table Rod/Cole notices a framed portrait photo of Rod, Laura and the baby.

Laura, from the next room: "Oh! Um, did you remember to pick up some diapers?"

Rod/Cole: "Uh, no." He turns from looking at the photo and Laura is there. "No ... um ... I’ll go back out and get some now."

Laura, flirty: "Mmm ... Not right now ... Right now I want to tell you how hot you look when you get dressed up ... What did you do? Have a business meeting you forgot about? Or ... did you do this just for me? Umm?"

She kisses him.

Stunned, Rod/Cole reaches a hand behind himself to the baby monitor on the table, somehow eliciting the baby to start crying.

Laura, sighing: "Want to deal with that? I’ll fix us drinks."

Rod/Cole, quickly: "No! No ... I’ll get the drinks."

Laura: "All right." She goes to attend to the baby.

———————————————————————

Agent Craig Barlow, who’s been bribed by Silvestri, calls him to ask if their deal is still on. Silvestri tells him that it is, if he has the information he wants. Barlow does: he can tell him where Rod is.

[Blooper: Why should this Fed, who is clearly involved with the Witness Protection Program, have had to wait until after Cole-as-Rod actually appeared before he found out where Rod was living?].

———————————————————————

Rod/Cole is calling Mel from a pay phone in Juniper by a restaurant and gas station.

Mel: "You’re where?"

Rod/Cole: "I’m in Juniper ... According to the name on the phone book."

Mel: "Can I ask why?"

Rod/Cole: "No."

Mel: "Why not? Why are you in Juniper?"

In the background, someone calls out, ‘Hiya, Ross’!

Rod/Cole: "I can’t tell you why I’m here, Mel. Not right now."

Mel: "Why not?"

Rod/Cole: "I just can’t. I will take a bus back into town and then we can talk."

Mel: "No! Forget about that! I’m coming to get you!"

Rod/Cole: "No! ... Mel..."

But she’s already hung up.

———————————————————————

Mel drives up, gets out of her car and runs over to Rod/Cole. This scene is shown through the plate glass window of the restaurant, so the two of them are seen talking but no dialog is actually heard. One can see Mel’s expression become joyful before she then staggers in shock. Rod/Cole steadies her, then notices Silvestri’s car pulling into the gas station to ask for directions. He quickly leads Mel into a recessed doorway to remain out of sight.

———————————————————————

Meanwhile, Laura hears the front door open from her kitchen as she’s preparing the baby’s formula.

Laura, to the baby: "Well, your daddy better have a good reason to have disappeared like that."

Ross comes in with a package of disposable diapers.

Laura, going to the door with the baby: "Ross?"

Ross: "Hey, baby." He kisses his wife. "Hey, baby." He kisses his daughter.

Laura: "Hon! Where on Earth did you go!?"

Ross: "Um, well, I went to work ... What do you mean?"

Laura: "Well, when I left the room when she was crying, you said you were going to fix us drinks, but then you just took off."

Ross: "Drinks? ... Um ... When was this?"

Laura: "What happened to your clothes?"

Ross, confused: "I don’t know ... What’s wrong with my clothes?"

Laura, equally confused: "Nothing. I just thought maybe ... You know ... you’d want to stay dressed up for me, you know?"

Ross: "What the heck are you talking about?"

Laura: "Are you okay?"

Ross goes to answer the phone.

Rod/Cole, warning him: "Rod, it’s Agent Barlow. I need you to get out of the house. They know where you are, so take Laura and the baby and get out of the house immediately."

Ross drops the phone, urgently calling for his wife.

———————————————————————

Back in Juniper as Rod/Cole hangs up the phone...

Mel, still in shock: "A baby ... Ross..."

Rod/Cole gently heads her for the car, his arm around her. Mel has to put an arm around him to steady herself.

———————————————————————

Silvestri, DeSoto and another of his goons have checked out Ross’ home and found no one there. Silvestri tells them that they’ll remain out of sight and wait for them to return.

———————————————————————

Rod/Cole is driving the Mercedes, Mel in the passenger seat checking the landscape.

[He’s driving like an old hand at it here when in the last episode ("The Beast") he could hardly steer. Those driving lessons Mel has been giving him have really paid off!].

Mel: "I don’t see them anywhere."

Rod/Cole: "They could be inside or they could be out here ... But they are here ... Are you ... sure you’re okay with this?"

Mel: "Yeah. I’ve dealt with alien fugitives ... before." She manages a slight smile. "How different can Human mobsters be in comparison?"

Rod/Cole: "I don’t think that’s why your hands are trembling." He pulls the car into Ross’ driveway.

Rod/Cole: "Mel ... I’m Ross now. And you’re Laura. So remember ... We have to seem like we have no idea that anything is wrong."

Mel faintly nods and the two of them walk hand in hand into the house while Silvestri and his goons watch from hiding in the trees.

"Make yourselves invisible," Silvestri tells them.

———————————————————————

It’s night and Rod/Cole and Mel have taken the places of Ross and Laura in the house in order to set a trap for Silvestri. Mel is morosely wandering the living room, taking in the baby’s teddy bear and Rod and Laura’s wedding portrait. She stokes the fire in the fireplace and then discovers their wedding video.

Rod/Cole: "The inside is clear. That means they are outside ... And waiting for the time to be right..." He notices her tension. "Have you found something?"

Mel: "Their wedding video..."

Rod/Cole: "Oh."

Mel, struggling with herself: "But I ... I’m going to leave it right there on the shelf ... As curious as I am to see it ... I’m not going to do that to myself. I cannot handle another emotional blow to the gut right now ... There’s no way I’m watching that video."

Rod/Cole leaves the room to continue his surveillance at the windows and not intrude on Mel’s pain.

Mel, of course, puts on the tape, listening to her Rod saying in his speech to his wedding guests that he’s come to this with a lot of emotional baggage, a lot of pain and heartache from a period in his life that he still finds hard to talk about or to even think about. And Mel knows that he was talking about and thinking about her and his love for her, grieving that he had to leave her behind.

———————————————————————

Outside, Silvestri and his goons are waiting.

DeSoto: "What are we waiting for? Why don’t we just go in?"

Silvestri: "Because they’ll be relaxed and getting ready for bed soon. The last thing people’ll be expecting then is visitors. So we wait."

———————————————————————

Mel is hearing Rod saying on the video how Laura taught him "to feel like a whole person again" when she finds the birth announcement of their daughter. They named their baby ‘Melanie’, there indicated as nicknamed ‘Mel’ for short. She breaks down in tears.

Rod/Cole, who had been hanging back: "They’re approaching the house." Mel visibly steels herself. "Are you sure ... that you want to take this risk?"

Mel, nodding: "It’s something I have to do. Let’s do it."

———————————————————————

Silvestri and his men make their move, breaking into the house.

DeSoto, seeing the playpen: "Damn! What are we going to do with a baby involved?"

Hearing movement, they flatten against the walls.

Rod/Cole comes out of the kitchen, stifling a pretend yawn, and acting shocked as he’s jumped: "No! No! Please! Please! I promise I won’t tell the police about you! Please!"

Silvestri, to goons: "Go get the woman."

Rod/Cole: "No!"

In another room, Mel is tied up as she sobs and begs, "Please! I have a baby! She needs me!"

Her mouth is duct taped and they leave her. With a sigh of relief she stops sobbing as soon as they do.

Rod/Cole is hauled off to a dock on the lake and pushed down to his knees at the edge of it.

Silvestri: "I knew you weren’t too bright when you tried to sell me out to the Feds two years ago."

Rod/Cole: "No! No! You got it all wrong!"

Silvestri: "Don’t insult my intelligence, Rod. I know all about it. And now fate ... has brought you back into my hands."

Rod/Cole: "Please! I have a wife and child!"

Silvestri: "It’s not about them. You had it pretty good out here. You should’ve never come back to the City. But I’m glad you did ... because I never would’ve found you."

DeSoto aims and fires his gun at Rod/Cole’s head and he goes into hyperspeed to dodge the fatal bullet. He slips Silvestri’s ring of off his finger to give the cops evidence to use to convict him. He then falls into the lake as if he’d been shot as real time commences. A smug Silvestri stands on the dock a few moments and lights his cigar, thinking his troubles are over.

When he leaves, Rod/Cole emerges from the lake and hurries to free Mel.

Mel, seeing how dripping wet he is: "It worked, didn’t it?"

Rod/Cole, nodding: "They think Rod’s dead."

Mel, very relieved, sees the ring he’s holding: "What’s that?"

Rod/Cole: "Something to help Rod and his family make a new start."

He places the ring on a table in plain sight.

———————————————————————

The next day, Rod/Cole and Mel are watching the Feds move Rod and his family out.

Rod/Cole: "So, would you like to talk to him? ... It could be your last chance."

Mel: "No ... He’s happy ... And loved ... And at least I know that he’s safe." [Knowing that Rod hasn’t forgotten her, will never forget her, somehow makes it easier for her to finally let him go and find closure]. Then, as they watch Rod and his family being driven away, "For now. But, Cole ... Silvestri is still out there."

Rod/Cole: "I’ve begun some ... special ... research on my computer on him ... I think the FBI will find some very interesting information about Marco Silvestri on their computers in the next few days."

She smiles at him, sad but grateful.

———————————————————————

Back at the apartment above the Watchfire, Mel retrieves a magazine entitled ‘MQ’ (a takeoff of ‘GQ’) with the same Cole-brand Briefs ad as the billboard.

Mel: "Are you ready?"

Rod/Cole: "Yes. I believe I’ve come up with a way to control ... my molecular transformation ... All I need now is the picture to reconform my mass."

Mel: "I - I - I’ve got it right here ... You sure do know how to pick them, Cole."

She hands him the magazine and he studies the ad again.

Mel: "Wait! ... Can ... Can you just..."

He quickly nods his acquiescence and Mel cups his face in her hands a moment, finally saying good bye to her Rod. She then turns away as he transforms himself.

Cole: "So?"

Mel: "So."

The phone rings.

Mel: "I should get that." She goes to answer the phone as Cole heads for his room. "Hello? ... Can you hold on one second?"

Cole turns in the entry of the living room and smiles at her. Mel smiles back, wordlessly thanking him for everything!’ And his eyes answer, ‘Not a problem. I did it for you.’

Mel turns her attention to her call as Cole continues on to his room. She gazes out the window, then closes the curtain as she figuratively closes the book on that part of her past.

Note: For this episode the opening credits feature Richard Yearwood in the fourth slot and drop Geraint Wyn Davies altogether. Davies, however, appears in the opening credits in subsequent episodes while Yearwood disappears and reappears several times, so this may be a case where only the "regular" actors who appear in the episode get credited in that particular episode.

• This is the only episode in the entire series where Zin’s name isn’t even mentioned.

• Writer Tracey Forbes seems to have some misconceptions about the Witness Protection Program. First off, the Feds wouldn’t have such a valuable witness living so close to the person he was intended to testify against. He would have been moved to another state. Second, they wouldn’t permit such a witness to have what appears on the tape to have been a fairly public marriage ceremony. Also, why didn’t the Feds more clearly fake Rod’s death instead of simply leaving his whereabouts a mystery, thereby leaving Silvestri still gunning for him?