Thursday, November 10, 2005, Episode #4679

Dante tells Bridget not to trust Nick.
At the beach house, Dante reminds Bridget how determined Brooke is. He thinks Brooke might just make a life with Eric if she's committed to doing it. But if her mother loves Nick, Bridget laments, it will just hurt that much more when her mom leaves her dad, as she's sure her mom will. And Nick will be there waiting with open arms, Dante states. He knows Bridget wants to believe in Nick, but he thinks Nick is a fool who can't ever be trusted. Bridget laments the mess her life has become. She knows her mom doesn't want to hurt her dad any more than Brooke wants to hurt her. But the more Brooke tries to help, Bridget frets, the more things spin out of control. That's why Bridget thinks she has to stop the madness, and she has just the way to do it. Dante asks what she has in mind.

Taylor has some questions for Nick.
Nick is in Taylor's office, trying to assure her that he really is over Brooke, even though he's said that before. He compares it to an addiction, guessing that she's dealt with that in the past. Addicts have to give up what they are addicted to, she says. Nick says that he has: coming so close to losing Bridget and betraying her has made him see how much she means to him. Taylor asks him to tell her that he's not in love with Brooke. He asks what love is. To him, he says, love is when you bring joy to somebody, or you lift them up, or you help them love themselves. If he's with Brooke, he predicts, she'll feel shame whenever she looks at her granddaughter, her daughter, or even herself. Her whole life would be diminished because of him and he can't have that. Even if he can walk away from Brooke, Taylor asks, can he give Bridget the kind of life that she deserves? He says that he loves Bridget and the life they were planning, but she lost trust in him. He has to rebuild her trust. His cell rings. It's Bridget; she says they need to talk, so she asks him to meet her at her mom's in half an hour, He's on his way, he says. He hangs up and tells Taylor that he's charted a course for his family, and he's not going to bear off it now.

Eric tells Brooke not to worry.
Brooke is in her living room, remembering her last talk with Nick, where she said that he's not the type to betray his own family. Eric comes down and finds her thinking; if she's worried about the company, he tells her, she shouldn't. He notes the blue cast on her arm, he asks how it is. The doctor said it will be fine if she keeps the cast on, she says. She asks if he is really ready to fight Stephanie. When he's with her, Eric tells her, he feels like he can do anything. He puts his hands on her shoulder and caresses her hair, but she pulls away. She tells him that she was on the Marlin with Nick. He wanted to make love to her, but nothing happened - between them, that is, However, their talk made Nick see how much he loved Bridget, and now he's determined to win Bridget back. Eric is glad to hear that. Brooke thinks she and Nick needed this test so they could put the passion they feel for each other aside and move on. She's sure that Nick is committed to their daughter now. Eric is glad, although he points out to Brooke that Dante has moved into the beach house. Dante says he's there as a "friend," Eric notes, but it's obvious that the artist is still in love with Bridget and is trying to help her. The problem, Brooke says, is that Bridget needs to be with her husband, and there's no turning back for that.

Stephanie gives Ridge reasons to stay at Forrester.
At Forrester, Stephanie tells Ridge of what will happen if he stays at Forrester. He and his brother will work together, running the family business as co-presidents, and he'll be rewarded financially. But she can't have him here if his loyalties are divided, so he has to separate himself from Eric and Brooke. Ridge agrees with her that Brooke's marriage to his dad is absurd, but he doesn't think it's Brooke's fault. He thinks Brooke is in need of direction, as she often is when she's not together with him. If his mother would just see that marriage for the sham it is, he thinks she might not feel the need to tear down this company, that they've worked so hard to build, just because she's angry at Brooke. Stephanie asks him why he is defending Brooke when he should be supporting his marriage. Ridge rolls his eyes at the thought that his mother is taking over Forrester to save his marriage. Not entirely, she says. Ridge tells her that she is making bad decisions for the wrong reasons. Taylor slips into the room and listens as Stephanie asks Ridge to trust her: together, she says, they can have everything they ever wanted. She means everything SHE ever wanted, Ridge guesses. Her company, Stephanie admits, and her family.

Ridge admits it was wrong of Eric to hide the trust and marry Brooke. He knows Stephanie feels betrayed, and he knows his mother loves him. Still, he can't be part of this, since there is no Forrester without Eric. She nods her head, accepting his decision. Taylor interrupts to tell them that the reporters are starting to arrive. Ridge takes that as his cue to be going. Taylor asks him to please stay, as this press conference means so much to her and Stephanie; Ridge is sorry, but this is wrong, and he's bothered that Taylor can't see that. If he can't support his mother's dream, Taylor asks, can't he stay and support his wife? She would love to face the crowd outside with him by her side. Ridge reminds her of the family trip they had planned to Big Bear. Taylor says that they can go up tomorrow morning, but Ridge says no. Taylor is upset that he can't love and support her, even if he doesn't agree with her. He says that she's his wife and he wants her to be happy. But she's asking him to watch her and his mother destroy Forrester, he says, and he just can't do that. He leaves.

Bridget puts her plan into motion.
Bridget tells Dante that she really loved Nick and wanted a life with him, which is why it hurt so much to find out that Nick loves her mother. She can't live that way, since she deserves someone who loves her completely, and so does her dad. Dante says he's proud of her. She says she has to deal with this, so she calls up her mother. She says that she's coming over to see Brooke and Eric, as is Nick. Why? Brooke asks. "You'll see," Bridget replies. Dante asks what she's doing. Picking up the mess, she says. Dante offers to go with her, but she asks him to wait here for her.

Bridget tells Nick and Brooke to be together.
Soon after, she arrives at Brooke's. Nick is there. She thanks everyone for being here, since she needs this time to face the truth. After all their decisions about what's best for her, she thought it's time to tell them what she has to say. If she sounds angry, she explains, it's because she's pregnant; that's supposed to be the happiest time in her life, but instead, it's the worst. She wants them to know that she doesn't hate them. At the same time, though, she needs them to see that all the things they've been doing because they're "best" for her are wrong and have to stop. Brooke says she didn't marry Eric for Bridget's sake, but Bridget isn't buying it. She's not a little girl anymore, so she doesn't want to be protected, or be deceived, any more. She says that she knows that her mom and Nick have feelings for each other. And they dealt with them, Nick says. Bridget says that SHE is going to deal with them now. She turns to Eric and tells him that his marriage isn't real, just like hers and Nick's isn't. She thinks it's time they stopped living in denial - and to that end, she turns to Nick. She says that they all know he wants Brooke, so she tells him to take her mother: he can have her. Brooke tells Bridget to stop, but Bridget tells her mom to go ahead and take Nick. This is the only way to put the insanity behind them, she says, putting Nick's and Brooke's hands together and ordering Nick and Brooke to look at each other. See, she tells Eric, they want each other, and it's killing them to be together. That's why she wants them to stop the torture and take each other, here in front of her and Eric. Just do it, she says.