Back In Springfield: 1989-95

Christina Thorpe, now known as "Blake Lindsey", returned to Springfield in 1988. When a crisis occurred in Blake's romance with Phillip Spaulding, Holly returned to Springfield to comfort her distraught daughter, although their relationship was strained at best.

Roger surfaced on a remote island where he was secretly working as a CIA agent. A plane crash conveniently placed Alexandra Spaulding on the same island, as well as Blake and Phillip, who arrived later in search of the missing Alex. They all met, but did not recognize, the disguised Roger, who was hiding behind his "Phantom of the Opera" mask. So taken was Roger with his beloved "Chrissy" that he resigned from government service and returned to Springfield, still in disguise.

Although Holly was unaware of Roger's "resurrection", he first caught sight of her during a costume party at the Spaulding mansion, and he temporarily removed his mask to gaze at her. When he thwarted Alan Spaulding's plan to explode a bomb at Blake and Phillip's wedding, his identity was revealed, causing Holly to scream out in anguish at the sight of her hated ex-husband.

Though Holly continued to hate Roger for his former violence, it wasn't long before she was forced to deal with him, due to the many problems of their troubled daughter. While together in Costa Verde on a mission to rescue Blake's next Spaulding husband, Alan-Michael, from kidnappers, Holly shared remembrances of Blake's childhood with Roger and realized for the first time that he was no longer the monster she remembered.

Following Roger's return to civilization in Springfield, Ross Marler and Holly formed a partnership to buy the local television station, WSPR, and a love relationship as well. Roger had a brief, but very interesting and passionate relationship with Sonni Carrera, which certainly seemed to awaken some dormant feelings in Holly (jealousy, for starters!) However, Sonni left town, and Roger soon married Alexandra Spaulding, who had returned to town (she left before his true identity was revealed). Roger did have feelings for Alex, but he was passionately interested in getting control of Spaulding Enterprises. After Roger was humiliated in front of Springfield on the opening night of what was supposed to have been their new Springfield Towers office complex, Alex locked him out of their bedroom, and Roger began a torrid affair with Mindy Lewis, who Roger had recently met and managed to resist, despite their mutual attraction. Well aware of Roger's lascivious nature, Alex had wisely insisted that he sign a prenuptial agreement which would cut him off from all things Spaulding if he was ever unfaithful to her. Alex began to doubt Roger's fidelity, and as a result, sought to involve Holly, the one woman Roger could never resist, in a devious plot to test and perhaps destroy him. Thinking that she could rid her life of him forever, Holly agreed and she and Roger, who now owned ½ of WSPR, flew off to Acapulco for a television syndicators convention. The big fidelity test backfired, however, and the two were left alone to deal with their turbulent past. Deeply buried emotions were finally brought to the surface and discussed honestly. Holly moved beyond her hatred for Roger to forgiveness. The next morning, the two enjoyed each other's company for the first time in years.

When Alex and Ross finally arrived to "rescue" Holly, they instead found their respective partners laughing and dancing together. While Alex was relieved that Roger had passed her test, Ross was convinced that Holly still loved Roger, and he broke off their engagement. Roger was devastated by the realization that Holly and Alex had plotted against him, perhaps mostly because it caused him to doubt the sincerity of what had transpired between him and Holly that night. When he returned to Springfield, he sought solace in Mindy's arms, and planned to marry her as soon as he could figure out how to free himself of Alex without losing everything he owned. Eventually, however, Alex discovered Roger's indiscretion with Mindy and divorced him, but not before publicly humiliating him at a 4th of July Country Club gathering.

During his affair with Mindy, Roger also discovered that he had a son, Hart Jessup, the result of his affair with Laura Jessup during his years with the CIA. Living on the memories his mother had left him, via letters, of the Roger she had known and loved, Hart initially idolized and defended his long-lost father. However, Roger was left desperate to salvage and rebuild that relationship when Hart held Roger personally responsible for his grandfather's death. The elder Mr. Jessup died after he lost the family farm in a business scheme hatched by Roger and his partner John Davis before Roger knew that he himself had such a close connection to the Jessup family farm. Later Hart had a one-night stand with Bridgit Reardon and unknowingly fathered a son (who Bridgit named after Hart's grandfather, Peter) before he left town.

Roger and Holly were finally able to maintain a fairly normal working relationship at WSPR until Holly became engaged to a strange young neurosurgeon, Daniel St. John, who had come to town as the brilliant protégé of Dr. Justin Marler, Ross's brother. Both jealous and suspicious (a dangerous combination for him!), Roger investigated Daniel's former life in Boston and discovered murderous skeletons in the good doctor's closet. He set out to convince Holly that her respected intended was a depraved killer. In a dramatic encounter at the Bauer Cabin, Roger rescued Holly and knocked off Daniel, who was about to shoot Ross. Holly seemed ready to let Roger into her life again until Ross convinced her that Roger was partly to blame for St. John's problems.

Holly decided to try to win Ross back, unaware that things had changed drastically, and at this point she was nothing more than Ross's safe and respectable escort to political functions, while the Senatorial hopeful was secretly sleeping with her daughter, Blake (who, incidentally, he used to babysit!) . When she innocently walked in on the two of them in bed, Holly went ballistic, cut Blake out of her life, and enlisted Roger's help to get revenge by sabotaging Ross's election campaign.

Holly also plotted to form a business partnership with Roger, but her plan was short-lived when Roger's newest lady-love, Jenna Bradshaw, suddenly became a Chamberlain heir (or so she thought), and was in a position to pull off yet another takeover of Spaulding Enterprises.

Distraught, lonely, bitter and depressed when even Roger forgot her birthday, Holly "celebrated" alone with some champagne and tranquilizers. In her dazed state, she left multiple messages on Roger's answering machine, then collapsed on the floor. Once again, Roger the Rescuer arrived in time to save her life. And, once again, Holly was grateful instead to Ed, who arrived a few minutes later and offered her a shoulder to cry on.

Holly eventually overcame her depression by befriending the pre-adolescent Michelle Bauer, who was struggling to come to terms with the sudden tragic death of her mother, Maureen. The two planned a vacation together at a mountain retreat called The Cliff House during the 4th of July holiday, unaware they were being followed by a dangerous ex-con, Roger's old partner John Davis, who was trying to extort money from Roger. A lonely Roger (who had just ended his relationship with Jenna because of his unresolved feelings for Holly) arrived at Cliff House with fireworks to entertain Holly and Michelle. Roger and Holly later shared a dance, and almost a kiss, before being interrupted by Michelle. Holly gave Roger a pillow so he could sleep in his car. Davis broke in and held Holly and Michelle at gunpoint. A worried Ed arrived and he and Roger teamed up to successfully rescue them. In the process, Ed almost fell off the cliff to his death, but in an ironic reversal of what had happened so many years before in Santo Domingo, Roger held on to Ed and saved his life. Ed and Michelle returned to Springfield. Holly tended to Roger's injured hand, and they began to talk. Moved by Roger's vulnerability and remembrances of them when they were young and in love, Holly reached out to him and the two made love for the first time in over 20 years.

Holly seemed to immediately regret their night together. The next morning, Roger asked Holly to marry him. She responded that she did not want the roller-coaster ride that came with being with him, or the prospect of defending him to all the people he hurts. Roger said he could change with her in his life. Holly admitted that she still had feelings for him, but felt their lives didn't fit anymore, and she couldn't marry him. Roger was first disappointed and then became angry, especially when she didn't even return his phone calls. Roger interpreted her rejection as an indication that she still wanted Ed, and the fact that she held a big "Hero Party" for Ed at the country club (which Roger promptly crashed) did nothing to dispel that feeling. Roger then proceeded to marry the newly rich Jenna (who rescued him from Ed's Hero Party debacle), and run Spaulding Enterprises yet again. The marriage last just a few months, however, due to Jenna finding out that her acquisition of Spaulding Enterprises was the result of one of Roger's fraudulent schemes.

Following yet another particularly unpleasant confrontation at the Country Club between Roger and a collection of his enemies (this time the occasion was Nick and Mindy's engagement party), Roger was shot by an unknown assailant. At the crime scene, police discovered only a bloody watch, which Holly recognized as her gift to Roger many years ago. Roger was nowhere to be found. At the same time, the authorities wanted to talk with Roger about the Spaulding Enterprises/Jenna Bradshaw fraud matter.

While all of Springfield thought Roger to be dead, and most of them were suspects in his shooting, he managed to hide out secretly in Holly's basement. His appearance in her living room on Christmas Eve, still bleeding and delirious with fever, evoked such compassion from Holly that, in a role reversal, she became Roger's rescuer. She protected him from the police, tended to his wounds and got medication to him while he searched for the person who shot him. The two grew close as Holly admitted that she wanted Roger in her life.

It was revealed that Roger's assailant was Billy Lewis, who lost control when he found out the baby he and Vanessa wanted to adopt was really Hart's son and Roger's grandson. Billy felt the world would be a better place without Roger in it (and adopting Peter would certainly be easier if neither Hart nor Roger ever knew the truth). With Roger facing prison due to his various misdeeds over Spaulding, Roger asked Holly if she felt there was a chance for the two of them to be together again if he did not go to prison. She said there was. Roger then promptly struck a deal whereby he would not press charges against Billy in exchange for the Spauldings dropping all charges against him. With prison no longer a threat, Roger and Holly began planning a life together, though there were many obstacles to overcome as he struggled with his dark side to be a better man for Holly.

Roger asked Holly to marry him. Holly postponed a decision until she was certain the time was right, and then, after nearly a year of living together, she said yes. At this same time, however, Alexandra and Alan Spaulding were out for revenge against Roger, and their combined efforts were successful in derailing Roger and Holly's marriage plans.

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