Thursday, September 28, 2006, Episode #4903

Harry reluctantly lets Shane go.

Alongside Pacific Coast Highway, Harry has Shane in a headlock. Phoebe pleads with Harry to let go. Hector tells Phoebe that Shane isn't who he claims to be, but Phoebe says that she already knows. Shane threatens to spill his guts if Hector doesn't call off his guard dog, so Hector tells Harry to let Shane go and leave. Harry asks Hector how he intends to handle Shane, who Hector said was up to no good, on his own, since Hector is blind. Hector says that he needs to talk to Shane alone. Harry wants to take Phoebe home, but she refuses to leave Shane there. Hector thanks Harry for his help and says he'll be OK, so the young sailor reluctantly leaves. Hector then demands to know what Shane wants, explaining to Phoebe that Shane was nearby the night of Darla's accident. Phoebe says that she knows, because Shane already told her that he saw everything, including her mother driving the car that hit Darla. She thinks they can trust Shane, who only needed someone to confide in. Hector is skeptical, but Shane says it's true: he needed someone to talk to, just like Phoebe did when Hector left her with a secret that could destroy her whole family. He assures Hector that their secret is safe with him. Phoebe says that she believes Shane and thinks Hector should, too. Shane suggests that they get off this dark, busy highway where the accident happened before someone wonders what's going on, so Phoebe helps Hector into the SUV and they leave.

Meanwhile, by Taylor's pool, things are getting hot and heavy between Thorne and Taylor. But Taylor then pulls back. Thorne asks what's wrong. When Taylor says it's nothing he's done, Thorne wonders if she's thinking of Darla, or if she fears that he's thinking of his late wife. Taylor wants to explain, but it's complicated. Thorne tells her not to worry, because he's not in any hurry. Taylor asks if he's disappointed; Thorne says he isn't, but he does have to get going to pick up Ally from his parents' house. He explains that Ally gets scared if he's not there when she wakes up. Taylor asks if Ally is still having nightmares. "Not as often - and thanks to you, neither am I," Thorne replies. Just then, Phoebe arrives and asks Taylor if they can have some time alone to talk about something important. Thorne says he has to be going anyway, so Taylor thanks him for a wonderful evening, and the two of them say their goodbyes.

Eric senses that Stephanie has something on her mind.

At the Forrester mansion, Eric senses that Stephanie has something on her mind. Stephanie tells him that she's pleased that Thorne is moving in the right direction. Then she's worried about Ridge, Eric guesses. Stephanie admits she is, because Ridge is with Donna. She kind of blames herself for that, since she drove Brooke away from Ridge. Eric senses there's still something else bothering Stephanie, but before they can discuss it, there is a knock at the door. "Saved by the knock," Stephanie retorts as she opens the door to find Lt. Baker there. Eric asks Baker if he has news about Darla's case; actually, the cop responds, he doesn't. But since he had not heard from the Forresters in some time, he wanted to touch base with them. Stephanie is furious that Baker is disrespecting Thorne's wish not to pursue the investigation further; she fears Baker's coming around will only reopen old wounds. Stephanie quickly shows Baker the door. Once the cop is gone, a confused Eric asks his wife why she was so closed mouthed with Baker, who wasn't stirring things up. He observes to Stephanie that she seems annoyed that the police are still looking for Darla's killer, even though her doing so doesn't make any sense.

Thorne tells his parents about his wonderful evening.

Stephanie tells Eric that she wants Thorne to move on with his life, and she thinks Thorne's decision not to pursue the investigation has paved the way for him to move on. But the police can still investigate, Eric points out. Of course, Stephanie says, since they have to by law. But at the same time, she doesn't want the police bothering Thorne. Eric asks Stephanie if she's trying to keep Thorne from being reminded of Darla as he gets closer to Taylor. Stephanie responds that Thorne will never forget Darla. Before Eric can respond, Thorne arrives. Stephanie is surprised to see her younger son and asks how his dinner with Taylor went. Thorne says it was amazing, and he tells Stephanie that he has her to thank. If she hadn't encouraged him to give up looking for Darla's killer, he'd still be filled with rage. But now, instead, he's excited about the future. Stephanie is glad to see Thorne happy. Eric points out how supportive Taylor has been of Thorne and Ally since Darla's death. Thorne sees where his dad is going and says he feels more for Taylor than just gratitude, since he's falling in love with her. Stephanie tells Thorne that she and Eric will support his relationship with Taylor. Thorne thanks them. For the first time in a while, he feels positive about where his life is going. Thorne then goes to find Ally. Eric seems surprised that Stephanie encouraged Thorne to pursue things with Taylor; Stephanie says that she just wants Thorne to be happy and thinks everything will be OK.

Upstairs, Thorne tells a sleeping Alexandria about his dinner with Taylor. After flashing back to he and Taylor admitting that they're falling in love with each other, Thorne tells Ally that tonight was very special. He explains to his sleeping daughter that some of life's surprises hurt, but others can be wonderful. His night with Taylor was one of the wonderful ones, since she's filled him with hope again. He tells Ally that looks forward to where this relationship will go, since he sees lots more wonderful surprises ahead.

Shane, Phoebe and Hector all give Taylor their side of Shane's story.

Back at Taylor's house, Taylor and Phoebe go inside, where Hector and Shane are waiting. When Hector accuses Shane of wanting to blackmail them, Taylor asks what's going on. Phoebe explains to her mother how Shane was the unkempt stranger who had scared her the night of Darla's accident. He had stayed behind to make sure she was OK after she got frightened and locked herself in the car, so he was there when Darla fell onto the road. Shane tells Taylor that he saw her hit Darla with her car. Hector warns Taylor not so say anything, but Shane says that he saw the whole thing, and he knows it was an accident. And if he wasn't convinced by the events alone that Taylor wasn't at fault, he saw her get out of the car and rush to Darla's side. Watching that heartbreaking moment drove home how tragic the accident was. He thinks Taylor's been through enough, which is why he doesn't want to cause her or Phoebe any more pain. Then why did he come here? Hector asks. Shane says that he couldn't get the events of that night out of his head, so he needed someone to talk to. And he could have gone to the police, Phoebe points out, but he didn't. Taylor guesses that's why Shane came to work for her landscaper and wanted to offer her a proposal. Hector is sure that proposal involved blackmail, but Phoebe disagrees. Taylor says it doesn't matter, since the question isn't what Shane is going to do. Rather, it's what SHE is going to do, which is to tell Thorne the truth!