Since the beginning of the show, Julian Crane has displayed a number of different facets to his character. One of the more unflattering ones was his cowardice.

He's been a coward, over and over again, never taking a stand on anything that actually had consequences.

This began to change once he came back from the dead.

The first time that it was noticeable was when he decided to stick by Eve when she was going to tell TC the truth about her past. He wouldn't leave her. He wouldn't let her go through things alone, despite knowing for almost certainty that TC would come after  him.

Yesterday, in the Library, was the longest he'd ever stood up to Alistair on a consistent basis. From the moment he defended Eve, to Alistair cutting off the phone, he didn't back down. His spine was front and center. Yesterday's scenes were fabulous to watch even if you only watched Ben Masters' facial expressions. Julian went through the gamet: disgust, shock, repulsion at the thought that Alistair truly WAS that evil, and finally a steely resolve. You could tell that Julian had crossed a line and that there was no coming back.
 

We found both Julian and Eve taking a latenight walk. Why? Because they were both disturbed about their son. Eve was carrying around his baby booties, and Julian, who'd had a change of heart, had to get out and think. When he saw Eve crying, he went to her and asked her what was wrong. She answered him by asking him what happened to their son, and he held her closely to comfort her.

Julian asks a sobbing Eve what she's doing out at night, and laments that if only he had stuck by her back then. Eve tells him that he's already apologized and Julian tells her that there aren't enough apologies in the world to make up for what he did. He told Eve that he did it because he was afraid of being kicked out of the family and being disinherited - back when he thought money could buy happiness. Eve asked Julian if he'd changed that much, and he tells her that he knows if he had followed his heart and stayed, they would know what happened to their son. Eve asks Julian if he believes her about being lied to in the hospital, and that their son is alive.

Julian told her that he had asked Alistair about their son, and he told her about Fox commenting to him that since Ethan was out, he was Julian's only heir. He told Eve that Alistair alluded to there being another heir,
and he told Eve that he thought their son was alive, and that he believed Alistair knew where he was.

Eve is almost giddy as she gets the confirmation from Julian that she's wanted for a long time - that their son is alive. She launches into almost a dreamlike state when she talks about all the possibilities for her son - how she wants to meet him, what does he look like, is he happy, etc. Then, her happiness turns to pain as she tearfully tells Julian that maybe her son doesn't need to meet her. After all, she has failed Whitney and Simone miserably, and maybe their son is better off without her. Julian tries to comfort Eve by telling her that she's done a wonderful job with her daughters, and that if their son is alive, he's a lucky young man because he's got a terrific mother. Eve and Julian get into a discussion about her family. She goes into the problems that each of them face, and Julian tells her that all families go through rought patches - or so he's heard. I think it was good to point out that Julian has no concept of what a real family is like. It's one of the holes in his life, and that he's trying to understand foreign concepts. Eve laments that Whitney is going down the same road she did, and she doesn't know what to do. Julian was gentle and honest with Eve, trying to get her to see that things are not that bad with Whitney. First, Whitney is a smart, intelligent young woman who has the character that she and TC instilled in her. Next, there's Chad. Julian tells her that even though TC doesn't like him, he sees a lot of positive things in Chad. He reminds her that he sees a lot of himself in Chad, but with none of his shortcomings. Ah, the irony of that one - the son being a better representative of the father. Julian tells Eve that Chad is going to protect Whitney, and that, from where he sits, Chad is not the kind of man who would turn his back on loving Whitney, which is more than you can say about him (Julian).

Eve tells Julian that she believes Chad loves Whitney, but she doesn't know if that's enough. She reminds Julian that Chad is older than Whitney and more streetwise, and though his intentions might be good, he might not be able to protect Whitney. She just doesn't want Whitney to be hurt like she was, and doesn't know how to stop Whitney without alienating her completely. Julian asks Eve if she remembers how it was back then; Eve said that the music was in her soul. Why wouldn't it be any different for Whitney? And, she has to remember what it was like to be young like that; all the young person wants to do is to break away and establish their independence. The worst thing possible, Julian tells Eve, is for the parent to force the child to do something they know the child doesn't want to do. Eve asks Julian when did he become so wise, and he sadly replies ' when it was too late for me to be a better parent to my own children'. Julian had regret written all over his face.

Eve tells Julian that maybe their son is better off without knowing her. That maybe she's not what their son needs. Maybe his life is going well, and he doesn't need anyone like them in it. Julian asks her what about if there son isn't happy, and Eve tells him that it would kill her. It's too horrible to contemplate. She wonders if it's fair to drag their son into their mess. How complicated things would get for all of them. The reactions of their families, and how her relationship with Julian would have to become public knowledge. Julian replies that Alistair would have a cow and finally disown him. Julian tells her that he doesn't care. For once in his life, he wants to do the right thing.

He tells her
" You make me want to be a better man."

Eve asks Julian what he means, and he tells her that he wants to find their son. He tells Eve that he wants to find him, but that it's up to her. He will do everything he can and he'll go all the way with it, but it has to be Eve's decision because she's the one with more to lose. If she says yes, he's in this with her to the end, and if she doesn't want it, he'll never mention it again.

Eve thinks about it. She doesn't know what TC will hate more: that she had a relationship with Julian and had a son with him, or that she lied about it during their marriage. She thinks about her daughters, and then flashbacks to the vision in the hospital when her son was stolen. She tells Julian that their son is as important as anyone else in their family, and that Julian should find him. Do whatever he had to do to find him.

Julian tells her to hell with Alistair. He'll use every resource he has to find their son and bring him back to Eve.

I loved their scenes. There was so much intimacy between them. The way they hugged, held hands, every touch. Pure magic.  Loved it.

For Eve, this was also a moment of truth. Eve's greatest fear is being alone. I think part of her hopes that finding her son will 'offset' the possible loss of Whitney and Simone once the truth is out. Another part of her truly aches for her son, and I believe her, putting everything on the line to find her son, knowing the consquences of it. She knows that it can't end well. She knows there is no 'happily ever after' once TC finds out that Julian is father of her firstborn child. But, she's willing to go along with it anyway because i) she wants to find her child, ii) she's sick of the lies. It's almost like she wants to be exposed, but doesn't have the courage to do it herself. But, she was consistent today about her son. It has always been the case with Eve that she's not brave enough to do something for herself, but she's brave enough to do it for her children. She's stood up to TC numerous times, and they all had to do with her children. She will do the same for her son.

Julian wants to find their son. He wants to embark on a course in which he KNOWS what the final outcome will be: he's on a collision course with Alistair. If he wants his son, he's going to have to either go through Alistair, or definitely deal with him. There's no avoiding it. Julian knows this and still wants to go down that path.

Up until now, Julian wasn't emotionally committed. He didn't want to admit to himself that he loved his son as much as Eve did. He didn't want to admit that his father was enough of a monster to do something to an innocent baby. He didn't want to deal with the consequences of what would happen if they found their son.

But, that's all changed now. Julian IS emotionally committed. He's scared out of his mind, knowing that these are the first steps of independence he's ever taken in his life. It's not a coincidence that the independence correlates with Eve. He needed to tell Eve about their son. He needed for her to know this. Right now, as he's taking this huge leap to independence, he needs ONE person on his side.  He needs Eve at this moment to be brave.

After this point, though, I don't believe he'll need Eve there. As time goes by, though, the momentum of this is going to pick up, and at some time in the future, it  might happen where Eve goes to Julian and asks him to stop  looking, and I think Julian will turn her down. He's emotionally committed now, and isn't going to turn back.

Ben Masters and Tracey Ross were terrific today. There's nothing better than good, character-based writing that moves the story along. This  was a good day.