Tuesday, April 18, 2006, Episode #4788

Jackie cautions Nick about confronting Massimo.

Brooke and Nick visit Jackie in jail. Nick tells her that he's hired a new team of lawyers to work on her case, but they're flying blind. Jackie asks him not to use Massimo's lawyers, since they don't know criminal law. Nick asks if there's another reason for that request, like her thinking that his pop had something to do with her arrest. He recalls how the judge allowed Mass to bring up Deacon during the hearing, something the judge shouldn't have done unless Mass got to him first. Jackie asks why Massimo would wait all this time to punish her. Brooke suggests that Massimo might have wanted to distract Nick. Jackie turns to Nick; if his father did this, she tells him, then he should prove to Massimo that he's wrong. She refuses to be Mass's accomplice. And just what did his pop ask of her? Nick asks. Jackie is reluctant to tell him, so Nick says he'll confront the old man to find out. Jackie asks him to wait, as she fears that might prompt Massimo to harm him or Brooke. Brooke says that Massimo won't hurt her, since he wants her with Ridge. But Massimo might strike at those close to her, Jackie suggests, like Bridget. She pleads with Nick to leave this alone, but Nick says he needs all the facts if he's going to get her out of here. Jackie finally admits how Massimo managed to get to see her in jail the night she was arrested, even though no one else could see her. He offered to help her as long as she helped him drive a wedge between Nick and Brooke! Nick is furious and really wants to confront his pop now, but Jackie thinks Mass might respond by doing something worse. She pleads with Nick to wait this out, at least until her trial, as she doesn't think he can win in a head to head battle with Massimo. "Watch me!" Nick says as he storms out.

Massimo has a gift for Megan.

In Massimo's office, he asks Megan what she was thinking by coming back here. She assures him that no one saw her. She asks him to turn off the opera music, but he tells her that the music will keep people outside from hearing her. Megan tells Mass how upset she is that Jackie was denied bail. She thought the plan was to scare Nick, not to put his mother in jail! She saw how desperate Nick seems and... Did she talk to Dominick? Mass asks. Megan tells him that Nick caught her at Jackie M. She went back there to make sure that no one could trace the files that Mass had her put on Jackie's computer, since the file dates would coincide with days she was at the boutique. Mass assures her that he made sure to cover such details and asks what she said to Nick. She replies that she told Nick that she just wanted to help his mother, who she was sure was innocent. She feels torn, as Massimo promised that no one would be hurt, and this plan was only meant to free Brooke to go back to Ridge. And so Brooke shall, Mass says. Even so, Megan finds her loyalties torn, and she feels like she's in over her head. Mass tells her that she's been a good friend to Brooke, and she's always seen how happy Ridge makes Brooke. He predicts that Brooke will be so grateful once she's back with Ridge that she won't even need to know that she has her friend Megan to thank. He wants to show Megan his thanks for helping her and takes out a necklace. He proceeds to put the necklace around Megan's neck and kisses her neck as he does! Once it's on, he looks at the necklace and says it may not be appropriate for a secretary, but it's very suitable for the women he wants by his side to wear when they're alone.

Megan says that she doesn't know how to thank Mass. She smiles as Mass tells her how valuable she's been to him. She says that no one has ever made her feel like he does, and she can't wait until they can stop hiding. Just then, Mass's assistant calls to say that Nick is on his way to see him; Mass tells Megan to hide the necklace and ushers her out the door behind him where she entered. He's therefore alone when Nick arrives, demanding answers. Mass asks if this has to do with Brooke's visit earlier, but Nick says that it has to do with the little deal Mass tried to strike with Jackie! Since that deal didn't happen, Nick intends to deal with his old man one on one. Mass asks if Jackie accused him of engineering her arrest, since he thinks she was over-dramatizing if she did. Nick isn't buying Mass's glib attitude, because he knows the way his father works; when he wants something, Nick points out, Mass will manipulate anyone and anything to get it, and he's appalled that his pop would use such tactics against him. Mass says he did nothing against Nick, but he thinks Nick should choose another path if he wants his help getting Jackie out. Like handing over the woman he loves to Mass's darling Ridge, who broke her heart? Nick asks. Mass reminds Nick that he and Ridge are both his sons. Nick says he used to be proud to be called that, but he doesn't feel that way anymore.

Nick gives his father until morning to fix things.

Mass says he's not favoring Ridge over Nick, but Nick points out that Ridge's mother isn't in jail. Mass tells Nick to forget these conspiracy theories; yes, he sometimes acts for the good of the family, but he does so equally. Nick asks how an arrest helps Jackie. Jacqueline surrendered any claim to his loyalty when she dealt with "that man," Mass says. Mass doesn't want to see Brooke do the same to Nick with Ridge. While Brooke may not be his choice for a woman to be with Ridge, he thinks it's inevitable that those two will be together, which is why he hopes Nick will accept that and spare himself the pain Jackie inflicted on him [Mass]. Nick isn't buying this. He reminds Mass that he knows enough about Marone's business to cause Mass some serious damage, so he doesn't think his pop will want him as an enemy. That's why he's suggesting that Mass get his mother out of jail now. Mass doesn't appreciate being threatened. Nick thinks it's sad to see his father for what he really is. He thinks about work, honor and family, and he then spits on the office floor. He tells Massimo that he has until morning and storms out, leaving Massimo shaking his head as the door slams.

Ridge hopes Brooke will appreciate his surprise as much as Hope's.

Ridge lets himself into Brooke's house and sees a note from Hope with a paper chain necklace that Hope made for her mommy as a surprise. He hopes Brooke will like his surprise, too. He then gets on the phone and arranges for a limo to meet the plane from Paris and then come to Brooke's house.

Brooke arrives and is upset to see Ridge there. He asks if she got his message; she counters and asks if he got hers. He says he did, but he couldn't wait until "sometime later" to see her. He needed to see her tonight and only needs an hour of her time. Brooke says that she's had a long day between work and Jackie's arrest. Ridge hopes Nick appreciates her support. She replies that she doesn't have time for whatever Ridge has in mind. She just wants to go upstairs, tuck the kids in and make herself a sandwich. She turns to go up, but Ridge tells her that he had Catherine take the kids for the night. Brooke is upset that he would do that, just so he could implement some grand scheme for seduction. Ridge asks her to give him more credit. Brooke then demands to know what's so important. He asks if she would do something if a loved one was sick or hurt, but denied that something was wrong. Brooke asks what that has to do with anything. Ridge says that's what he's doing here tonight.

Brooke is upset with Ridge's assessment of her.

Brooke asks if she's the sick person in denial that he intends to make better. Go ahead and be angry at him, Ridge says, because he knows her and the connection that they share, and he feels like something is off. Brooke says there's nothing wrong with her. Then why can't she love him? he asks, pointing out that it used to be as natural as breathing for her. It ended, she says. Then why did she agree to marry him? he asks. She says she thought... She then stops. Ridge asks if she thought she could forgive him, but then couldn't. She tells him that she is in love with Nick. For the same reason Bridget thought she was in love with Nick, Ridge says: because she thinks she can count on Nick, like the father she never had. Brooke says he's off base, but he asks if Nick being goof with the kids and having fun with them really makes him a good dad, even in Nick's eyes. Brooke asks him to listen to her, as he knows nothing about her relationship with Nick. Ridge agrees, pointing out that she never talks about Nick as a lover. He thinks she likes how trustworthy and dependable Nick is, but she can get a German shepherd to fill that need. Brooke protests, but Ridge insists that Brooke has a void to fill, and he's here to fill that by healing her wounds. The doorbell rings; Brooke tells Ridge that he'll have to leave if that's Nick. It's not Nick, Ridge says as she opens the door...