Friday, December 08, 2006, Episode #4952

Taylor tells Brooke that "there's no excuse for abuse."

Taylor invites Brooke over to her house for tea. Brooke tells Taylor how surprised she was when Ridge told her that Stephanie's father abused her. She found it hard to believe that John Douglas, who Stephanie always spoke of in such glowing terms, beat his daughter, or that Ann Douglas turned a blind eye to her husband's actions to the point where Stephanie cut Ann out of her life. But it explains Stephanie's need to control everything, Taylor points out. And her need to protect her children, Brooke adds. Brooke recalls how it felt when her father walked out on her and wonders if Stephanie was similarly affected by her father abusing her. That's exactly what happened, Taylor explains, pointing out how Stephanie's life will change since confronting her mother. And Eric's and the children's lives will change, too, Brooke states. She admits that she always wondered if Stephanie's anger was just jealousy over her relationship with the Forrester men. Taylor suggests that not all of Stephanie's anger was misplaced, but she thinks the abuse explains why Stephanie went to such lengths to get Brooke out of Ridge's life. And even though things won't change overnight, she thinks it's encouraging that Stephanie broke the cycle of abuse by becoming overprotective of her own children. She tells Brooke that they have a saying in therapy that "there's no excuse for abuse," of a physical or verbal nature. Brooke agrees that they, as parents, have to protect their kids.

Eric assures Stephanie that their children will understand her actions.

On the limo ride home from the airport, Eric tells Stephanie that their children are waiting for them at the house. He asks if she's up to talking to the children after her emotional ordeal in Chicago. Stephanie responds that she doesn't want to put this off, since she should have told the children about the abuse herself. Eric reminds her that Taylor explained why she couldn't tell them, but Stephanie still thinks the children deserve to hear it from their mother. Eric tells her that he'll be right beside her when she tells the children. Stephanie thanks him again for his support, and for standing up to her mother. That's nothing compared to the support she'll get from their children, Eric assures her, promising that everything will be fine.

Ridge and Felicia anxiously wait for their parents.

Ridge, Thorne and Felicia anxiously wait at the Forrester mansion for their parents. Felicia admits that this just added to the case of nerves she's had since Dante went to Italy. Thorne asks why Dante accepted a sculpting job in Italy. Felicia explains that Dante needed the work now that he's not working at Forrester. She hopes he can return to L.A. once their new company is off the ground. Which will happen once they deal with their mother's issues, Ridge promises. They still can't believe that their granddad hit their mother, or that their grandma did nothing to stop it. Eric and Stephanie arrive; when their children warmly greet them, Eric tells Stephanie that he knew the kids wouldn't be upset with her. Ridge says there's nothing to be upset with. Stephanie reminds them that she hid the truth, but the kids remind her that Taylor explained her reasons. Stephanie is still upset that she led them to believe that she had this incredible childhood, just to push the ugliness from her mind. In doing so, she pushed her mother out of all their lives. Felicia tells her mom that they want nothing to do with their grandmother now that they know how she treated her own daughter. Stephanie admits that her experiences led to her need to control everything, a need that permeated all their lives. She just hopes they can understand why she did it. Felicia jokes that this doesn't justify the 11 PM curfew Stephanie gave her when she was 16. But it explains why she was so protective, Ridge and Thorne chime in, and they're grateful for that. They all tell Stephanie that they love her.

Thorne wonders why his grandfather put Forrester in his mother's name.

Ridge asks if anyone else knew about the abuse. Stephanie replies that her sister Pam knew. The children are still stunned that their grandfather was abusive after the way their mom always talked about him. Felicia is glad that her mother at least never blamed herself, but Stephanie explains that she did blame herself. Eric, Ridge, Thorne and Felicia agree that there John Douglas's abusive actions were inexcusable, as was Ann Douglas's refusal to defend her daughter. Stephanie admits that she went to see her mother right after her father died, hoping that they could then talk about the abuse. But her mother still refused to acknowledge that anything happened, just as she did yesterday. She's just grateful that Eric was with her this time, to lend her his strength. Eric says he was just there for moral support. He then jokingly tells the children that this doesn't mean their mother won't be driving them crazy by dinner; they all laugh. In all seriousness, Eric tells Stephanie how proud he is of the progress she's made by confronting her mother. He tells her again that she's an amazing woman. Stephanie again thanks him. Ridge recalls how John put Forrester Creations in Stephanie's name; Thorne wonders if that was an attempt by his granddad to make amends, but Eric thinks it was John's way of showing what a wonderful father he was, hiding his attempt to control his daughter. All the money and stock in the world can't make up for beating a child, Felicia states. Stephanie tells them that she wants to put it behind her, and she wants them all to do her one favor: she wants them to give their own kids a big kiss and hug tonight when they get home and tell their kids that they love them, since that can never be said too often. Ridge reminds his mom that they all love her, too.

Brooke and Ridge discuss Stephanie's being abused.

Brooke and Taylor walk in. Brooke gives Stephanie a big hug and tells her that she's sorry, since she understands everything Stephanie did now. She wants Stephanie to know that she's here for her. Stephanie thanks her. Taylor asks if she can speak to Stephanie privately, so Stephanie suggests the two of them go to the den. Brooke tells Eric that Stephanie seems OK. Eric admits that it was hard for Stephanie to confront her mother. Ridge thinks it would have been harder if Eric wasn't there to offer support. Felicia agrees and gives her father a hug. Meanwhile, Brooke goes out on the terrace. Ridge joins her and asks if anything's wrong. Brooke replies that she wanted to talk to him alone and asks if he's OK, since she knows how much he loves his mother. Ridge confesses that this has been hard, since he can see now how her mother's abuse rippled into all their lives. Brooke agrees, but she's sure Stephanie regrets that. Ridge just wishes he had understood sooner. He thinks of all the kids out there experiencing the same kind of abuse his mother did and wonders what they can do about it. Brooke tells him that they have to keep their eyes and ears open for any signs of abuse in their lives, since it can happen anywhere. Ridge frets that some people find it easier to turn the other way, even though he thinks anything they can do to prevent such abuse is worth it. Brooke agrees.