Wednesday, April 19, 2006, Episode #4789

Nick asks Stephanie if she had anything to do with his mother's arrest.

Megan arrives at Forrester and finds Sally having problems placing a call for Stephanie. Megan gives her replacement a tip on how to get the person to take the call. Sally doesn't take it too well and hangs up. She thanks Megan but says that she'll handle this her way. Nick comes in and asks where Stephanie is; Sally offers to announce him, but Nick just barges into the CEO's office and demands answers from the Queen of Forrester. He wants to know if she has anything to do with his mother's arrest. Stephanie hopes he really isn't accusing her of being part of that. She may not like Jackie much, but she wouldn't set her up on Federal charges. Nick reminds Stephanie that she has a motive: since Eric intends to marry his mother, maybe Stephanie cooked these charges up to eliminate the competition. All Eric has to do if he wants to marry Jackie is ask for a divorce, Stephanie replies. Besides, putting people in jail isn't her style. Maybe not alone it isn't, Nick says, but maybe she's working with his old man, who also would benefit from Jackie's arrest. Stephanie can't believe he would even suggest such a think. As she pours herself some coffee, Nick comes up to her and asks, point blank, if she had his mother arrested.

Stephanie assures Nick that she's not responsible for Jackie's plight.

Stephanie assures Nick that she had nothing to do with Jackie's arrest. Then his old man arranged it to keep him and Brooke apart, Nick guesses. And if Mass did that, Stephanie says, he succeeded. She asks if he thinks his father has such poor judgement. He says that the old man is desperate, Mass could have pulled some strings with his "boys" in Washington. Stephanie thinks that's quite a conspiracy theory. Nick says that she knows his old man, who is certainly capable of it. But how can he prove it? Stephanie asks. Nick says that he'll find a way, and when he does, he'll make his pop pay. He asks how he can keep an open mind about his father. Stephanie suggests that parents often do things in their children's best interests, but Nick thinks this is going too far. Stephanie thinks Nick will understand when he has kids someday. She tells him that nothing would make her happier than to see him and Brooke sail into the sunset together, so she asks him to please do it. She assures him that she knows nothing of a scheme of his father's concerning his mother, and she doesn't want to have to say it again. Nick says that Mass wants Brooke and Ridge together, since they're RJ's parents; it keeps Mass's "perfect" Marone dynasty intact. Stephanie agrees that Mass isn't the kind of man who would let something destroy his life's work. Or his dynasty, Nick says. But his pop has crossed the line here, and he thinks Stephanie knows that. He vows to get his mother out, and nothing can change the damage his pop has done.

Jackie warns Nick not to underestimate Massimo.

Nick goes to visit his mother in the federal lockup. He tells her that he confronted the old man. She asks what Massimo said. The same thing over and over, Nick replies. Jackie says Massimo will never forgive her, but Nick tells her that she doesn't need the old man's forgiveness. It's all about him staying away from Brooke, he states. Jackie tells him not to to give up on Brooke. Never, he whispers. He tells her that he's warned his pop to come clean within twelve hours, or his world will come tumbling down on him. Jackie appreciates his determination, but she thinks that if Massimo did this, he'll have covered his tracks, so he won't appreciate anyone snooping around. Nick tells his mother that he doesn't care how Massimo reacts. Be careful, she warns him, since he doesn't know what Massimo is capable of. She doesn't want him to underestimate his father. Whatever principles Mass thinks he's hiding behind, Nick says, he's wrong. If his pop wants to play "for keeps," he's ready to do that. He vows that If she's not out by tomorrow morning, his father will have made the biggest mistake of his life.

Megan frets over her recent actions.

Massimo picks up his red phone to call Megan, who frets that they are holding Jackie without bail. She worries what will happen if Jackie is found guilty. Mass says that Jacqueline is far from suffering. But she's in jail! Megan points out. Mass thinks that Jackie can do worse than spending some time without satin sheets. He promises that the charges will be dropped once Ridge has secured his relationship with Brooke. Megan can't believe that he's going to keep Jackie in jail, so he reminds her how he was imprisoned in a wheelchair. He tells her to listen to him; he promises that Jacqueline will not be scarred by a few nights in jail. Besides, the plan is working. Dominick is thinking about his mother, which gives Ridge time to secure his relationship with Brooke. Today could be Ridge's breakthrough, he predicts. Megan hopes Ridge is offering Brooke more than flowers and romance. Mass says that he's not sure what Ridge is doing, but he's sure Ridge will "seal the deal" tonight.

Massimo thinks the time is right for Ridge to reclaim Brooke.

After ending the call, Mass sits in his office as the opera music plays in the background. He says aloud, "Your brother is distracted, Ridge. Now is the time to get Brooke back. Now is the time."

Ridge urges Brooke to listen to her father.

And Ridge is at Brooke's house, where Brooke looks away from her father and asks Ridge what Stephen is doing there. Ridge reminds her that Stephen is her father, but she retorts that her dad walked out on her and her family. She asks Ridge if he thinks reminding of a man who hurt her even more than he did is meant to make him look better. Ridge says that he understands her feeling of abandonment. Brooke says that she was 10 years old when her father walked out her family (although when B&B premiered, Brooke was in her twenties, and Stephen was said to have been gone for seven years. Stephen steps in and asks Brooke to let him explain, but she doesn't want to hear it after what he did to her in Paris! [Note from Scott: Stephen accepted a bribe from Massimo to lure Brooke to Paris by claiming he was dying, in order to get her out of Stephanie's life.] Ridge begs Brooke to listen to her father, as their future is riding on it. That's why he brought Stephen here. Brooke reminds him that Stephen was a coward who walked out on his wife and his four children. She asks if Ridge knew that her brother got his nickname, Storm, because of the anger he carried inside because of that man over there! She, her mom and Storm had to protect her little sisters, so Stephen practically took her childhood away, and that changed everything. Ridge thinks it's just like he changed everything by walking out on her and her kids. He suggests that Brooke thought she had dealt with her issues with her dad, but she obviously didn't, and that's why she can never forgive him for abandoning her.

Brooke is angry that Ridge thought she "needed" her father. Ridge explains that he ran into Stephen when he was in Paris over the holidays, but Stephen asked him not to say anything, since she wanted nothing to do with her dad. Yet here he is, Brooke says. Stephen said he had to find out about her, since she never returned his calls or answered his letters. Brooke asks what he expected after what he did. Stephen admits that he was wrong to abandon her. Brooke just wants him out! Stephen turns to leave, but Ridge stops him and asks Brooke to believe that her dad is here to help. Brooke says her dad never helped her before. And he was wrong, Stephen says, but he wants her to know that he DOES want her to be happy, and he thinks she can if she lives the life she was meant to with Ridge. He admits he's ashamed of what he's done, but he's gotten his life together and has even been successful in business. But one thing that never changed is that he cares about her and siblings. Yet that couldn't keep him at home, Brooke says. Stephen says he felt like he could never measure up as a father or a husband. But he's not that man any more, which is why he wants to do something positive and show her that Ridge is not him. He asks her to believe that Ridge is committed to her, and he hopes she won't hold his sins against Ridge. He abandoned her, but Ridge did not.