Wednesday, November 22, 2006, Episode #4942

Jackie takes a stand against Stephanie.

At the Marone Mansion, Jackie tells Stephanie that she and Nick are taking a stand for everyone that Stephanie has ever hurt. She wonders if Stephanie will see the cost of her bullying once her children lose their legacy. Stephanie says she has no guilt over anything she did to protect her family. "What about pushing me over that balcony?" Jackie asks. Stephanie says that she didn't push Jackie, but Jackie says she did, because Jackie hit a nerve and showed that Stephanie isn't the woman she pretends to be. "Don't you dare judge me!" Stephanie fumes, moving close to Jackie, just as Donna walks in and tells Stephanie to get away! Donna admits that she actually felt bad about telling Nick what she saw Stephanie do, but she's stunned that Stephanie would go near Jackie again. Stephanie thinks Donna and Jackie are both crazy with their accusations of what they think she did, but Donna stands firm on what she saw. Stephanie accuses Donna of using this opportunity to get back at her for what Donna thinks she did to Donna's parents. Donna tells Stephanie to leave her family out of this. "Like you left mine out?" Stephanie seethes, angry at how Donna is using this to settle old scores. She came here hoping to work things out reasonably, but she sees that will never happen. "You're never getting my company!" she shouts as she storms out.

Eric hopes Nick is happy with what he's done.

In the Forrester CEO's office, Brooke pleads with Nick not to punish Stephanie by making her family give up their company. She compares it to tearing a child away from its parents, something she thinks Nick would never do. But her plea falls on deaf ears as Nick tells the Forresters to make their choice. But they lose either way, Brooke argues. Nick turns to leave, saying that he'll be with the D.A., but Eric tells him to wait. Ridge begs Eric not to do this. Eric asks Ridge and all his children to listen to him. This is not about Nick or even about this company, he states. It's about their family, and about keeping Stephanie out of jail. He won't let his wife go to prison, so he'll sell to Nick, provided Nick removes the non-compete clause from the agreement. Storm sees no issue with that, so Nick agrees and tells Eric to sign on the dotted line for himself and Stephanie. Eric takes out a pen and signs. As he hands the paper to Nick, he hopes Nick is happy. He warns that Nick may have their name and their business, but he'll never do anything with them without the people in this room. Nick thinks he needs some more signatures. Kristen signs first. Next is Felicia, who hands Nick her signed agreement and slaps him! "You're not the man I thought you were," she fumes. Thorne signs next, stating that Nick is lucky that Felicia got to him first. The last to sign is Ridge, who hesitates until Eric looks at him. As he signs the papers, Ridge warns, "You're going to regret this, Nick. You've declared war on the wrong people."

Nick considers Eric's warning.

With the papers signed, Nick gives the Forresters 48 hours to clean out their offices. Eric warns Nick that he may have the company, but he hasn't beaten them. "Are you sure?" Nick asks. "Damn sure," Eric retorts, pointing out that he only did this for his wife. Otherwise, Nick would be leaving with nothing - which is exactly what Nick will be left with when he runs the company into the ground. Nick takes the papers and leaves the room. The Forresters bond in a group hug as Brooke looks on. Moved by the Forresters comforting each other over what they've just given up, Brooke looks at the conference table and sees a blank copy of the sales agreements the Forresters signed. She picks up the document and leaves the room.

Brooke wants no part of Nick's revenge plot.

Brooke finds Nick across the hall in Ridge's office. She asks if he's just going to leave now that he has the family's shares. Nick reminds her that they each own half the company now. Even though she begged him not to take the company from the Forresters, she laments, asking where the man she loved is. Nick says that man is here, wondering what happened to the woman he loved. He has his limits, he reminds her. Brooke tells him that she has limits, too, and he's pushed her to hers. She takes out the blank sales agreement. Nick hopes she's not planning to switch that with one of his signed documents in some fake out. There's no fake out, Brooke says. She explains that she loves this company too much to see it turned into a revenge tool, so she's selling him her shares as well. Filling in the form and signing her name, she tells Nick that he wanted Forrester Creations so badly. Now he has it all, she says, unwilling to be part of his plans. Nick tells her to calm down and thinks this through, but she says that she has. He could have sued Stephanie for damages, but he punished the whole family, despite her pleas not to. She asks why he dragged the whole family into this. Nick counters by asking why she never let go of that family even once during their marriage. Things could have been different if she hadn't held onto Ridge and Stephanie, he laments. "If we ever had a chance before, we certainly don't now," Brooke states. The company isn't the same without the Forresters, she says. She also doesn't want Hope or R.J. to be exposed to this hostility, so she asks Nick to stay away from the kids. "I don't want to be a part of this -- not now, not ever," she says as she leaves.

Brooke returns to the CEO's office, where Ridge comforts Eric. He reminds Eric they still have the heart of Forrester Creations - the teamwork among their family. And their memories, Eric adds. Ridge sees Brooke and asks where she went. She tells Ridge and Eric that she went to sell Nick her shares of Forrester as well. Eric tells her that she didn't have to do that. "Yes, I did," Brooke replies. Eric thanks her and gives her a hug.

Shane asks Bridget for medical help.

Bridget gets to the hospital and is about to treat a patient with a severe head injury when she realizes that it's Shane! Shane assures Bridget that he won't hurt her. He needs her help with his injury. As Bridget stitches him up, Shane imagines what Hector has said about him. Bridget advises him to focus on his serious head injury and asks to run some tests. Shane worries that she's stalling so she can call the police. He admits that he can see where she might be scared, just as Phoebe probably was. He asks Bridget if she'll tell Phoebe that he would never have hurt her, and that he's glad her mother went free. He just wishes he could have been there to testify, but the police would have come after him. He hopes Phoebe will understand, since she was an angel, the best thing that ever happened to him. Bridget gets a page; when she turns away to answer it, Shane slips away.

Stephanie is livid with Eric.

Stephanie enters the Forrester CEO's office and tells Eric that she wants to countersue the Marones. Eric tells her that there won't be any suits, since he and the children love her so much. That's why they agreed to sell the company to Nick to protect her. Stephanie is stunned that he did that behind her back. Eric tells her that the children all agreed, so it's done. Stephanie is livid that he caved in. She seethes, "You've done some really stupid, lame things in our life together, but this -- this takes the cake!" She can't believe he was so crazy that he sold their company!

Donna learns that the Forresters and Brooke sold to Nick.

Nick arrives at the Marone Mansion and asks Donna where his mother is. Donna tells him that the nurse took Jackie upstairs to rest after Stephanie came by. She sees the contracts in Nick's hands and ask what they are. He replies that those are contracts selling him stock in Forrester Creations, including Brooke's 50%. Donna is shocked that Brooke sold her shares, since she knows Nick wanted Brooke to run the company with him. Nick responds that Brooke turned him down. "She sided with the Forresters," Donna realizes. Nick tells her that he has a tendency to drink and smoke when he's in a bad mood, so he suggests she leave if she can't handle that. Donna says she'll stay. Nick laments that Forrester is his now, but it doesn't quite feel like he expected.