Monday, October 31, 2005, Episode #4671

Stephanie is stunned by Brooke's plans.

Stephanie is still in Brooke's office, on the phone with Massimo. Mass tells her that she's the sole owner of Forrester Creations, unless Katherine Chancellor, as trustee, made decisions on her behalf without her knowledge. Stephanie wants to know how they can find out. Mass says he intends to find Katherine. Stephanie says she'll wait to hear from him. "Not in my office," Brooke chimes in; she takes the phone and tells Stephanie to take a last look at Forrester. Brooke has things to do. Lives to wreck? Stephanie asks. More like lingerie lines to resurrect, Brooke replies. Stephanie can't believe Brooke would restart Brooke's Bedroom; Brooke points out that it was one of Forrester's most profitable lines. Stephanie says that Eric has her sympathies, since she remembers when Forrester took pride in its lines. The focus on sex and profit only came with Brooke, she argues. Brooke tires of hearing about the old days and their elite clientele. She thinks that Stephanie should accept that she [Brooke] is in, while Stephanie is out and is never coming back.

Massimo asks a favor from an old friend.

Katherine Chancellor is powdering her nose at Cafe Russe when Massimo comes up behind her and tells her how ravishing she looks. She recognizes her old friend's voice and notes it's been a while since she last saw him. Mass recalls they last saw each other at a business symposium in Chicago honoring her. He flew in all the way from LA, she recalls. Mass asks how he could not pay tribute to a fellow captain of industry. Katherine laughs that he better not let his wife hear him talk like that. He guesses she hasn't heard that he and Jacqueline divorced; she says she did and notes what a coincidence it is that they'd meet here. Mass says it's not a coincidence, as he tracked her down. Katherine guesses he asked her loose-lipped housekeeper, Esther; he assures her that he promised Esther that she wouldn't get into trouble. Katherine asks if this is about Marone Industries. Actually, Mass says, it's about a mutual friend, Stephanie Douglas Forrester. Katherine recalls John Douglas's "pride and joy." Mass asks if she'd have time to visit Stephanie. She says that she has to catch a flight home, so Mass offers to fly her home on his jet if she'll meet with Stephanie. She guesses this is more than a social visit. He says he can't say more, but he'd appreciate her meeting with Stephanie.

Back at Forrester, Brooke marvels that she ever valued Stephanie's opinion. She did once, Stephanie retorts. Brooke says she doesn't want to hold a grudge, so she has a parting gift for Stephanie; she takes some lingerie off a rack and tells Stephanie to share it with her geriatric pals, to keep them from turning on her when she bores them with tales of the "wild, wild, west." Stephanie recalls how her mother taught her to respect herself if she wanted to be respected. She doubts Brooke would appreciate that, since Brooke respects no one. Brooke tells her to put those obsolete ideas out to pasture and to send a card from Florida. Brooke then gets another call for Stephanie; it's Massimo, telling her to meet him and Katherine at her house. She says she's on her way. To the airport? Brooke asks. Stephanie laughs that Brooke is trying to get rid of her; she thinks about all the times that Brooke made it to the top just to fall on her derriere. Stephanie then leaves; Brooke follows to escort her to the elevator, telling Stephanie to enjoy her last look around. As Stephanie boards the elevator, Brooke tells her, "Toot-a-loo, you sanctimonious old..." The closing elevator door cuts her off. As the elevator descends, Stephanie rubs her hands and laughs, "Enjoy yourself while you can, tootsie, because you have not seen the last of the old girl yet."

Y&R's Katherine Chancellor wonders what Stephanie wants from her.

Stephanie arrives at the house and thanks Katherine for coming. Katherine guesses this is about more than just a stroll down memory lane. Massimo hands Stephanie the envelope with the trust and tells Katherine that he has to leave, but he's leaving her in Stephanie's wonderful hands. Stephanie thanks him as he leaves. Katherine then asks what this is about; Stephanie says she has questions that only Katherine can answer. She doesn't mean to be mysterious, but a lot has happened. She recalls that Katherine and her father were friends. Indeed they were, Katherine confirms, recalling all the things she and John had in common and the good times they spent together. Stephanie says she never knew how close her dad and Katherine were until she found this document and shows Katherine the trust papers. Katherine doesn't remember at first, since she's sat on many boards, but she remembers once Stephanie shows Katherine her signature on the papers. The trust, Stephanie says, states that she, as sole beneficiary, is the sole owner of Forrester Creations, even though she and Eric jointly ran the company together. That's why she needs to know if Katherine, as sole trustee, made any alterations or changes of ownership, She can't even begin to tell Katherine how much is riding on this.

Nick doesn't believe Eric.

At the beach house, Nick and Bridget can't believe that Eric and Brooke are having sex. Eric boasts that he and Brooke made love like newlyweds, and he felt like he's 20 years old again after being with her. Nick says that he doesn't believe it. He doesn't want to believe it, Eric says. Nick asks Eric to be honest with him; he knows Brooke LOVES Eric in many ways, but she's not IN LOVE with him and never will be. Eric says that he and Brooke committed to each other and to their family, so he suggests that Nick accept that, so he can move on with Bridget. Bridget tells her father to stop, as she already told him... Eric says that he knows what she told him, but there's a child on the way. He can't believe the love that created that child has disappeared. Since he and Brooke have moved on, he sees no reason that Nick and Bridget can't either. He just wants to help, he explains. But lying isn't helping, Nick says. Eric suggests that Nick talk to Brooke if he doesn't believe him; he hopes that Nick will accept it if he hears it from Brooke. Eric then looks at Bridget and leaves.

Bridget asks Nick to leave her alone.

Bridget turns to leave as well. Nick shuts the door and asks her to stay, but she says that she can't put herself in this situation again. She tells him that she chose not to call him back for a reason, because she knows he's in love with her mother. She puts something in his hand (she already gave him his rings back, so I'm not sure what) and says that he's free to fight for her mother, so she asks him not to contact her again. She thinks they should stay out of each other's lives. Nick grabs her and tells her that his feelings for her haven't changed. They're having a child, he reminds her. The child will be fine, she says. She says that as much as she wanted to believe, her days of denial are over, and so is any future they might have. She then leaves, leaving him alone in the house.

Eric goes to Brooke's office and tells her that things didn't go well, as Bridget believes that their marriage is just a cover, especially since they're not sleeping together. Bridget kept pushing on that, so had to tell her... Brooke immediately guesses what he said and ask how he could do that. He says that he knows she's worried about how hearing that hurt Nick, but she needn't worry, since Nick is so in love with her that he didn't believe him. In fact, he thinks that Nick can never have a future with Bridget unless he's convinced that he has none with Brooke, which is why Eric needs Brooke to convince Nick that she's let go of him and is committed to her husband now. Brooke says that she HAS let go, but Eric disagrees. If she was over Nick, he suggests, she wouldn't have trouble being intimate with him {Eric]. Brooke says she needs a bit more time, but Eric says there is no more time. Every day that Nick doesn't accept their marriage is another day that Nick won't commit to Bridget, Eric states. He sits Brooke down and kneels in front of her. He tells her they can have it all: they can even have a happy daughter married to a wonderful man, he says, but this company is their foundation. If she can turn her back on Nick, he explains, no matter how painful it is, he thinks the two of them can have it all, and no one can take it away.