Episode Recaps

“To Get Off the Grid, Get Thee to an Island” – Episode One Recap

@KirstenO relocates from Windy City Chicago to Coronado to be closer to her love, @MattClaymore, an aged former Navy SEAL turned President of a San Diego Private Security Company (akin to Blackwater or OtherGov). After an Omaha car breakdown, @MattClaymore completes the Chicago to Coronado drive with her in her 10 year old Saab (a romantic yet wild adventure flashback with a loaded gun in the back seat).

The former big city executive – accustomed to 5-star restaurant openings and black tie Economic Club of Chicago events – is culturally-challenged in Coronado; a fish out of water. Her first few weeks on the Island crawl at a snail’s pace. Living @TheGrannyflat, a tiny breezeway above a garage, she visits the little flower lady perched center of Coronado Village every Friday and whittles time away at the Island Starbucks among Navy wives and retired Rear Admirals. Slowly she learns about the Hotel Del Coronado; the tightly knit Navy SEAL community; the Bridge connecting the Island to the mainland, a bridge that ranks the 3rd deadliest suicide bridge in the nation. @KirstenO begins to feel a “twinge,” something tempering the ambition that had once defined her. “To get off the grid, get thee to an Island,” she muses.

C2CSoap fans meet leading man, @MattClaymore. Claymore was raised in the same Third Avenue house he lives in today; multi-generation Coronado. Although he travels abroad frequently for business, he prefers living life in a 5-mile radius, hunkering down at home as if in a “bunker”. He needs his space – and lots of it. His life has been hard. He has become suspicious, distrustful, and jaded. He has little mental space for seduction…but at his core he is a lonely leader who secretly longs to be seduced. Friday nights are theirs. @MattClaymore grills steak on his Third Avenue rooftop deck. They watch the moon. He sings Kenny Chesney.

With @MattClaymore’s emotional ambivalence, @KirstenO befriends her young Navy SEAL neighbor, “Academy”. He is ready and willing to play along as “friends” hoping for something more…

”Unplug and Unplan” – Episode Two Recap
Episode 2 opens with the story of Larry Lawrence, the Hotel Del Coronado’s former owner. Lawrence, a former Chicagoan, was one of the leading advocates for building the blue bridge connecting the Island to the mainland. After his death and burial in Arlington National Cemetery (complete with a eulogy delivered by President Clinton), Lawrence’s military record was questioned and his claims of military service were determined to be fraudulent. Lawrence’s body was disinterred and returned to San Diego. @KirstenO feels a strange kinship for Lawrence’s ghost, in spite of his seeming corruption. They had Chicago to Coronado in common. Both had felt like outsiders on the Island amidst the tightly knit military community.

@MattClaymore shows @KirstenO his version of Island life; fierce and reckless power boating in Coronado Bay, backyard playtime with his 15 year old Black Lab named @NadoDeeOGee, indoor sports. But their differences are beginning to show. Claymore shoots out of bed at 5AM like a rocket, while @KirstenO prefers to sleep in. Mornings with Claymore are perfunctory: bed-made, chai-tea, cheek-kiss, out-door. He collects fish and prefers nights at home.

@KirstenO continues to consult part-time working from the Island Starbucks among retired Rear Admirals, wondering if they are bored, if they enjoyed “the reward of long life for good behavior,” or if when an Admiral’s commission was exhausted, he hoped to be shot. During a moment of distraction wandering the Island, she drops her computer. Blue screen of death. In that instant, she recalls advice from her Chicago mentor: “Unplug and unplan for a while when you get to Coronado.”

@KirstenO bemoans her technology crisis with her young Navy SEAL neighbor, Academy, who uses her moment of weakness to make his first subtle romantic overture. She is shaken and spills her soda on her cell phone. The phone is fried. “NOW you are unplugged and unplanned,” laughs Academy. Claymore eventually comes to @KirstenO’s rescue with a loaner computer. @KirstenO’s technological crises foreshadow challenging communication in the future…

”Dealing with Withdrawal Symptoms” – Episode Three Recap
As Episode 3 begins, @KirstenO is realizing that the 4Ds of withdrawal don’t work on days when she is missing high heels and suits, power breakfasts at Lou Mitchell’s, and salon hairblowouts. Increasingly frustrated with @MattClaymore’s desire to nest at home, she longs to explore the world across the bridge. “When I come home, I want to rest,” Matt says. She knows she can’t bend him.

@KirstenO continues to muse about Larry Lawrence, the former Del owner. She is beginning to understand how he might have felt pressured to create a military record in order to be accepted by Coronado’s military society. As Cindy McCain, a partial year Coronado Island resident, visits the Island as part of her husband’s Presidential election campaigning, @KirstenO’s thoughts turn to Navy SEAL wives, who seem to be pillars of strength. She has yet to enter their social hierarchy.

Often she dines alone, as @MattClaymore’s children are with him several nights a week. He appears reticent to involve her with his kids. Dining at Burger Lounge, @KirstenO meets Babe, an Arizona tourist who is forlorn over the end of her marriage. She talks feverishly about Coronado Bridge jumpers and suicide, making @KirstenO uneasy. The next day as @KirstenO drives over the bridge she sees the suicide hotline sign and wonders what one should say to someone who plans to throw themselves from a bridge. She’s overcome with guilt, believing she should have done more to console Babe.

As @MattClaymore continues to be reclusive, @KirstenO increasingly spends time with her young Navy SEAL neighbor, Academy. She frequently hangs out at the Island Starbucks with Academy among retired Admirals who know him by name. As they grow closer, she opens up to Academy about the challenges she is having with @MattClaymore. Academy listens intently and offers “friendly advice”. One night, after Claymore cancels plans for a night on the town last minute, @KirstenO seeks emotional solace from Academy. And Academy makes his move. The two collide with passionate sparks in his doorway – but the moment breaks short when she murmurs @MattClaymore’s name. Academy pushes her away. “It won’t happen again until you say my name and ask me to kiss you,” he says bitterly.

As Episode 3 ends, a desperate @KirstenO calls her Chicago gal pal @ChicagoCEOChick. “You are homesick for Chicago. Come visit,” @ChicagoCEOChick suggests. @KirstenO makes last minute plans and departs for the Windy City.

”Meditation and Remediation” – Episode Four Recap
Episode 4 finds @ChicagoCEOChick and @KirstenO commiserating in Chicago. Her Navy SEAL neighbor Academy and @MattClaymore exchange texts with her as she shops and visits old friends.

Back in Coronado, @MattClaymore is stuck in traffic on the Bridge. Babe, the Arizona woman @KirstenO had met at Burger Lounge, has attempted to jump from the bridge. Claymore texts @KirstenO impatiently as he waits, informing @KirstenO about the jumper. @KirstenO tells @MattClaymore she had met the woman jumper while dining in Coronado. Claymore reassures her that it wasn’t her responsibility to save her, putting her mind at ease. “How did we get so off track?” Claymore asks @KirstenO. He then asks her to return to Coronado. She reluctantly agrees.

In a flashback, fans learn about Claymore’s childhood – how his father had passed away unexpectedly while he was a senior in high school. The early loss of his father had shaped him, but he had eventually learned to love and married a local Coronado woman. Sadly, his marriage ended in divorce after his wife’s betrayal with a younger man. @Mattclaymore had now been divorced as long as he had been married. He dated infrequently and in short bursts. Meeting @KirstenO had been an anomaly, he thinks to himself.

As @KirstenO returns home to Coronado, driving past the Hotel Del, her mind fills with thoughts of another Chicago man, Frank Baum, the man who wrote the Wizard of Oz while hibernating in Coronado during Chicago’s blustery winters. Baum had been a Chicago Press Club member. In spite of his fame, he had died bankrupt. @KirstenO begins to fear she will meet misfortune, like Chicagoans Larry Lawrence and Frank Baum before her. She arrives home to find Academy’s house dark and shuttered. The local paper lays on her doorstep with the headline: Arizona Woman Found Dead in Local Hotel – it’s Babe, age 54. She had successfully committed suicide in spite of her failed Bridge Jump. Later that night, in @MattClaymore’s arms, @KirstenO bursts into tears when he calls her Babe. He’s touched and speaks of a mission with Shaolin Monks. That night Claymore holds her in his arms as he sleeps, instead of sleeping on the other side of the bed. @KirstenO dreams of her young Navy SEAL neighbor, Academy…

”Dealing With Major Surprises” – Episode Five Recap

In Episode 5, life on Coronado still seems “postcard perfect”. Clean white sands and grassy dunes, a beach invisibly divided into 3 distinct zones, and “hidden in plain view graffiti”. But this Pleasantville-like Island has its surprises; no movie theater, one Starbucks, no street people, expensive gas, and booming Navy SEAL training at night. Coronado is wedged between the Naval air station and Navy Amphibious base, just like @KirstenO is torn between a former Navy SEAL, @MattClaymore, and her current SEAL neighbor, Academy.

Pondering what life was like when residents and visitors lived in “Tent City,” @KirstenO shudders at the thought of roughing it. Camping is out of the question, and the thought of swimming is worse. Though she enjoys wandering Coronado, shopping, and sunbathing, @KirstenO’s weekends are slightly uneventful. She knows that she would soon need to become good at doing what she dislikes.

Scooting around town with her Navy SEAL neighbor, Academy, @KirstenO met many unassuming Navy SEALs and learned the details of each hero. But now, with Academy’s home shuttered and dark, she settles into @MattClaymore’s tightly regimented schedule. Two nights per week with her in his arms, three nights per week with his kids, two nights alone. His schedule leaves @KirstenO alone with time to reminisce about her former Chicago life as she dines alone – quietly sipping on a glass of wine. Sadness, not depression, has set in. While running on Silver Strand behind Navy SEALs, she smiles at the men she knows through Academy and realizes her life has been compressed into two nights a week.

After weeks, a light finally switches on at Academy’s house. She knocks and he opens the door bruised and scarred, unable to discuss his recent top secret Navy SEAL mission. @KirstenO looks at the man who stands before her, and thinks about asking him for that forbidden kiss. But Academy seems empty, disconnected, and disinterested.

Friday night dinner with @MattClaymore is the usual routine, nothing like weekends in Chicago. An undistinguished small town Friday night spent grilling steaks, watching UFC, bed by 2100. While @KirstenO dreams about Babe, the Arizona woman who had committed suicide in her hotel room, Academy runs on the beach in the moonlight remembering his first kill – five men during his first mission, one with his bare hands.

”Snipers at Dusk” – Episode Six Recap
Episode six opens with @KirstenO and @ChicagoCEOChick discussing the life of Navy SEALs and the women who love them. Navy SEAL wives and girlfriends are tough as nails. They live their life, love their men, and stand firm when it is needed. Advice from @Navy_Girl made sense, “SEALs are stubborn by nature. They are taught not to fail, not to sway, so there’s nothing you can do.” Feeling inspired, @KirstenO seeks out Academy, who invites her over for dinner the next evening to cook by “shortcut.”

The following day, while waiting for dinner to begin and remembering Academy’s stolen kiss, @KirstenO learns more about the Coronado-Chicago connection. The men who built Coronado and met misfortune. Larry Lawrence. Frank Baum. Hampton Story.

Hampton Story was the founder of the Chicago-based Clark and Story Piano Company and the man who built the Del. After a hunting trip with friend Elijah Babcock, Story sold his company (which still flourishes today) to his son and relocated to Coronado. Hampton and Elijah Babcock fell to Coronado’s charm, invested $100K, and set out to build a resort hotel.

@KirstenO dined with Academy; cooking by shortcut as promised, silently dancing, and enjoying small kisses from a man who was now unpredictable and confidant. Walking home, @KirstenO finds @MattClaymore sitting on her porch with an empty whiskey glass, drunk and dejected. Upset that she was with another man, Claymore announces that she would always belong to him and no one else. He would fight for her, rescue her, and protect her. However, she wants more than he can give and with that he departs, empty glass in hand.

The next morning @KirstenO wakes to a Facebook message from an unfamiliar person, Chance. He claims to be the oldest son of @MattClaymore, a son that is kept a secret. Through Facebook chat, Chance reveals a side of his estranged father that @KirstenO knew nothing about, a side that is supposedly filled with lies and deceit. Claymore discovers the conversation she had with his son and is enraged. @KirstenO is reduced to tears as she tries to explain herself. Academy finds a distraught @KirstenO and offers his support – along with tequila shots. Doing all that he can to convince @KirstenO that Claymore is no good for her, both neighbors eventually drop to the floor in a moment of passion; thrust against one another, pushing and pulling. But the moment stops as quickly as it began when she moans @MattClaymore’s name. Academy pulls back, opens the door, and finds Claymore standing in the doorway. Both men address each other appropriately. @MattClaymore stands motionless, shocked that the young SEAL he helped in a bar fight many months ago – between SEALs and Zonie tourists – was now leaving @KirstenO’s shirtless. “This too shall pass,” said Claymore as he walked away.

Unsure of what to do next, @KirstenO is determined to meet new people and make new friends. Feeling lonely, she buys flowers from the Flower lady and happens upon KByte, ST-5 Master Chief from the school of hard knocks. KByte is intimidating and relentless, but has a soft spot for ladies like her. KByte follows @KirstenO from a safe distance and has fallen in love. Meanwhile, @KirstenO is on a mission to build a support network.

”How to Build a Support Network” Episode Seven Recap – June 23, 2009 C2CSoap Digest

After sleeping soundly for the first time in months, @KirstenO feels the beginnings of what it means to move on, but not before an embarrassing encounter with Academy’s mother, a Fortune 100 CFO. Plans are set for Academy, @KirstenO, and their mothers to explore Point Loma and the resting place of Academy’s fallen father. Waiting in the lobby of The Hotel Del, @MattClaymore approaches the moment @KirstenO has decided to push on. His timing is impeccable, as is Academy’s, who enters in time for Matt to get the hint. Hand in hand with Academy, @KirstenO feels secure stepping off the island. What does one cemetery in Rosecrans and one dinner in Point Loma yield? One heart-racing night in the arms of a man who cares.

This week @KirstenO’s encounters with SEAL Master Chief, KByte, continue. While walking to meet her mother at the Del, she passes KByte on his chopper. He tries his hand at wooing her to no avail. Meanwhile, her mother is leaving Coronado, but not before one last girls lunch at Tartine. Only in a perfect world would lunch be so simple and happy, with no thoughts of the exes and woes that taint their thought process.

”How to Build a Support Network” Episode Seven Recap – June 30, 2009 C2CSoap Digest.

Celebrating her independence from Matt Claymore and new beginnings with Academy (her Navy SEAL officer neighbor), @KirstenO, her mother, and Carly “power lunch” at Tartine. Carly, the ex-girlfriend of Chance – @MattClaymore’s son – voiciferously bemoans Chance’s indiscretions. @KirstenO sits in uncomfortable silence knowing she will have to tell Carly she was the woman on the other end of the phone whom Chance was begging to see. For @KirstenO, silence is golden after seeing Carly’s explosive fireworks confrontation with four girls, giggling about their “dine and dash” scheme. Meanwhile, lunch concluded with a walk to the beach where SEALs were training shoreline. The sight of the toned, tan men flooded @KirstenO – with thoughts of Academy; his looks, his demeanor, and his love. A sight such as this would’ve caused any other woman to stand at attention and salute the red, white, and blue.

C2CSoap fans said farewell to @KirstenO’s mother as she departed for home. Sadness like the still after bombs bursting mid-air filled @KirstenO and her mother as they drove over the Coronado Bay Bridge to the airport. With one tearful hug, her mother whispered, “If you have any doubts about where you are supposed to be, look down at your feet.” @KirstenO drove home alone to find flowers on @thegrannyflat’s doorstep from Academy. She heads over to Academy’s apartment – sparks fly – and she sleeps safely in his strong arms that night.

As Episode 8, ”Get Wet and Sandy,” opens, readers learn more about @MattClaymore’s controversial Navy SEAL record, his own re:invention, and his slow rise to the role of President of a leading San Diego security firm.

”Get Wet and Sandy” Episode Eight Recap – July 7,2009 C2CSoap Digest

Drenched in drama, Episode 8, “Get Wet and Sandy,” includes a confrontation, two lies of omission, and a confession. The scene opens with @MattClaymore deep in thought in his wood-paneled San Diego security firm office. Under his leadership, the firm has evolved into a leading provider of integrated risk mitigation solutions to multinational corporations and governments. But Matt Claymore’s mind is drifting elsewhere – reflecting upon his days as a Navy SEAL, remembering his life defining failures.

Through a flashback, C2CSoap fans are transported back to @MattClaymore’s career-ending mission. It’s April 1, 1992 – Young Matt Claymore’s 33rd birthday. As Officer in Charge he leads his 4-man “element” on a mission to collect intel and build a target package for a militant leader’s capture. An unexpected compromised position results in a confrontation with two unarmed teenage Somali boys. Team guy sniper Harper panics and open fires, killing both boys and violating rules of engagement. An OIC who puts his men first, Claymore places an unregistered gun at the scene and convinces his team to omit the incident from their team debrief—a deliberate lie of omission. Ratt, team communications guy, squeals and confesses the truth about the mission’s events to the Chain of Command. Claymore’s entire team faces lockdown and NIS Investigation. Back in present day Coronado, the romance between @KirstenO and Academy continues to heat up.

Meanwhile, a second lie of omission is revealed. Carly learns that @KirstenO has concealed her pre-existing acquaintanceship with Chance, Carly’s cheating ex.

”Get Wet and Sandy” Episode Eight Recap – July 14, 2009 C2CSoap Digest

Across town, @KirstenO has been enjoying nights in Academy’s arms, with coffee and kisses in the mornings. Little does she know that the fight has begun, and dark secrets are coming out of the closet. After a series of late night drunk phone calls from her ex-boyfriend Chance, Carly has discovered @KirstenO was the woman she had overheard Chance speaking to on his cell phone. Carly plans her own stealth mission to get to the bottom of it, making plans to confront @KirstenO at Starbucks. It takes no time at all for Carly to dig her heels and claws into her foe. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. @KirstenO was helpless to defend herself as she sat in Carly’s line of fire, as an audience of retired Rear Admirals and tourists watched on the Starbucks battlefront sidelines.

As the battle breaks between Carly and @KirstenO, readers discover Carly’s secret. Carly is pregnant. Later that evening, a guilty @KirstenO abruptly breaks things off with Academy, her Navy SEAL officer neighbor. She needs time to sort through her feelings.

Flashback to 1992, @MattClaymore is struggling to keep a positive outlook on life. His mission to Somalia and Article 15, record-sealed General Officer Memorandum of Reprimand (GOMAR) will thrown him a blow. How will things with Carly and @KirstenO turn out? What exactly happened to @MattClaymore — what inspired his re:invention?

”Get Wet and Sandy” Episode Eight Recap – July 28, 2009 C2CSoap Digest

CHICAGO TO CORONADO is back in full octave crescendo! While @KirstenO is enduring a lonely and sleepless night after placing Academy at arm’s length, @MattClaymore is across town re-living the gut-wrenching memories of his Navy SEAL past. An NIS lockdown was inevitable when Comm Guy Ratt, a member of Claymore’s 4-man Somali intel element, squealed that Team Sniper Harper had shot 2 innocent Somali teenage boys and Officer in Charge Claymore had ordered a team coverup. Six days after his 33rd birthday, April 7th, 1992, @MattClaymore was issued a GOMOR, never to be seen by the public. From that moment on, @MattClaymore struggled with the reality of his life. Turning to seclusion and alcohol, he withdrew from the world and regrettably, his pregnant wife. For a man with a plan, receiving a GOMOR was life-shattering. Slowly, he pulled away from his attractive, blonde, athletic wife, while she pushed to know the truth behind his absent eyes. But one day she could push no more; eight months into her pregnancy during a sunny Coronado day, his wife was rushed to the hospital where she lost their twin baby boys to an undiagnosed Congenital Heart Defect. Karmic retribution for the two innocent Somali victims?

Everything in life is about making decisions, and for @MattClaymore the decision on the table that night in 1992 was clear as he sat with his gun, locked and loaded—temple or mouth. A US Navy SEAL never quits.

Back in present day Coronado, @MattClaymore relives his SEAL past, harboring the memory of his once adoring ex-wife, whom he remembers fondly as he watches his blonde and athletic Executive Assistant shuffle around his San Diego security company office. Claymore has seen her “bump” and drawn conclusions. As he clumsily blurts out a comment to his EA about potentially needing to take maternity leave, she storms out in tears. Sensitivity training may be in Matt’s near future, as are many other choices and revelations.

How did Claymore’s re:invention come about? Whom or what pulled him out of his despair?

“Ready to Lead, Ready to Follow, Never Quit” Episode Nine Recap – August 13, 2009 C2CSoap Digest

Surprises are pop-flying out of left field throughout this new episode. Carly is 1.5 months pregnant and she can no longer hide it! Struggling to stay on top of her daytime Executive Assistant job and wondering if she can handle a nightly waitressing gig, Carly ponders whether having the baby is a good idea. Her hormones are getting the best of her as she catches herself in a heated daydream or two about her boss, @MattClaymore.

Back on Coronado, Chance is hard at work as an entrepreneur building a business. In spite of zero capital or support from his father and tight cash flow, Chance is determined to make his business a home run success. This week, we learned more about Chance’s childhood – the distance between him and his father, @MattClaymore. Their estrangement began when he was 12 (the same year @MattClaymore received a GOMOR). Chance has vowed to be a better dad than his own. Has that time come sooner than he planned? Is Carly pregnant with his baby?

Training at Coronado NAB, US Navy SEAL Academy is launching a dangerous recovery mission to win back @KirstenO’s heart. He refuses to believe it is over. Academy’s plan: be patient, maneuver strategically, and win. There is no other option. Briskly walking to the Flower Lady on Orange Ave, Academy breezes by Island Love Doctor, @phillipdale. En route to a Island WI-FI location to tweet, @phillipdale is a personal romance coach who advises the lovesick online and offline. Mild-mannered and gentle, he politely steps out of the young Navy SEAL’s path — never realizing Academy may have needed his sage counsel. Continuing on his way, Academy briskly gathers a bouquet of flowers and leaves them on @KirstenO’s doorstep. To Academy’s dismay, the flowers sit silently on her doorstep, where they stay for the remainder of the evening. Academy lays in his bed that night restless, knowing @KirstenO is not home. Across Coronado, @MattClaymore is also in bed. But he is not alone…

Are flowers enough to win @KirstenO back? Why was she not home to get them? Who was in bed with @MattClaymore? Is Chance about to step up to the plate as a father? What more will we discover about @phillipdale?

“Ready to Lead, Ready to Follow, Never Quit” Episode Nine Recap – August 25, 2009 C2CSoap Digest

C2CSoap has taken a high-dive into the drama surrounding Carly’s pregnancy. While waiting in line at Starbucks behind retired rear admirals and Navy wives, Carly encounters her former boyfriend, Chance. He quickly discovers her secret – she is pregnant. Like a skilled Olympic diver, waiting to jump head first into her fate, Carly lets the truth splash up in Chance’s face. “You are not my baby’s father,” she tells Chance. Coronado locals watch as Carly walks away from a speechless Chance. His only hope is to run after her and confirm his gut feeling — he must be the father, there could be no one else…

Across Coronado in a Third Avenue house, a dark-haired girl climbs out of @MattClaymore’s bed. C2CSoap fans are relieved to discover that the girl is his faithful 15-year-old Black Lab, @NadoDeeOGee. Did you really expect this former Navy SEAL to be the bad guy? He is C2CSoap’s resident “Rhett Butler” – bitter from heartbreak and a bit of a rogue, but redeemable.

Claymore’s relationship with his eldest son has been strained since 1992. This week, C2CSoap fans learn that KByte drove the stick between son and father. One week after @MattClaymore was issued a GOMOR, the young and loyal KByte found his former OIC gun in hand, ready to fire. KByte reminded Claymore that a SEAL never quits and advised him to avoid his son to spare him the curse of their team’s Somali mistake. Since that day, Chance has felt rejected by his father, filling the void with women, disguising the pain with a cavalier glint in his eyes.

Meanwhile, @KirstenO has returned to Coronado after a much needed getaway with @ChicagoCEOChick in her old Chicago stomping grounds. Though she was desperate to get away from Navy SEALs and Pleasantville, she lands at San Diego Airport with one man on her mind. She makes her way by cab from the Airport to his place and she knocks on his front door. Which man will answer?

“Ready to Lead, Ready to Follow, Never Quit” Episode Nine Recap – September 1, 2009 C2CSoap Digest

@KirstenO returned from Chicago and stood outside the door of the man she loves, with her heart in her hand. When @MattClaymore opened the door wearing grey baggy pants and nothing more than a smile, she found herself reminiscing and perhaps falling back in love with this former Navy SEAL. From doorstep to rooftop deck, @KirstenO watched Matt Claymore grill his famous steaks, remembering how it felt to dance under the stars with him, to be in his arms. Is that where she belongs?

Meanwhile, Academy has been training under the moonlight on the beach with his platoon, preparing for another test of his endurance — deployment. As he prepares for his first 6 month deployment, distant memories of his childhood fill his brain. Beatings at the hand of a Navy Admiral father and school bullies. Since then, Academy’s mission in life has become protecting women and underdogs.

Across town, Chance Bach was busy drinking his pain away. Pain that arose from knowing that the woman you love is having a child, and it is not yours. Try as he might to push her off as a trifle, it is clear that Carly will always be his true love.

“Ready to Lead, Ready to Follow, Never Quit” Episode Nine Recap – September 8th, 2009 C2CSoap Digest

This week @KirstenO and @MattClaymore seemed to be on the brink of potential reconciliation. Matt Claymore would always have her heart. One look into his eyes over a romantic candlelit dinner at his Third Avenue Coronado house and their bitter differences seemed to be a distant memory. But try as she might to rekindle her romance with Claymore, Claymore has moved on. His distance evident in his posture.

It takes all the strength Claymore has within him to keep his burning desires in check. He wants her, to kiss her again, and envelope her in his body heat, but Claymore is stopped short by his memories — memories that come to him in a backdraft of pain. As he sits with @KirstenO in his kitchen, Claymore reflects back on the day that his now ex-wife came to him confessing her infidelity. On that fateful day in 2000, Claymore’s ex-wife admitted to having an affair (or was it, as she protested back then, a nonconsensual encounter?) with a former member of his platoon, K. Brady Calhoun, AKA “KByte.” Claymore’s feelings of jaded betrayal and years of festering anger boiled over upon learning the truth, terrifying his wife and leaving her engulfed in tears. In that instant, their marriage was lost. To Claymore, his 1992 career ending GOMOR and failed marriage were his two biggest mistakes in life; there would not be a third. From that day forward, Claymore had resolved to focus exclusively on A priorities.

Returning from his heart-wrenching flashback, @MattClaymore rebuffs @KirstenO’s advances, walks her to her car, and sends her home with one final romantic gesture – a stroke of her hair. He dodges her kiss, leaving her sobbing in her Saab parked on Third Avenue. What will @KirstenO do next? Will she give up? How will she move on? Will she seek solace in Academy’s arms?