Monday, January 08, 2007, Episode 4971

There's total chaos in the Forrester showroom in the wake of Stephanie's revelation about Jackie. Jackie bolts from the runway and makes her way backstage, where she find Stephanie watching the monitors. Jackie asks Stephanie how she could do this. Stephanie asks if Jackie thought there would be no consequences from blackmailing her family. Jackie warns Stephanie that she'll lose Eric over this; Stephanie quips that she'll have to find a way to deal with that, since Eric might want to see Jackie on an hourly basis once he hears what happens. "He doesn't know/" Jackie asks. Stephanie replies that he will now.

Nick faces a barrage of questions from the press.

On the runway, Nick tears into Captain Kramer, who tries to explain that Stephanie claimed Jackie wanted to see him. Nick calls for security to get Kramer out of there. As Jarrett and Danica fire more questions, Donna steps in and states that the accusations they heard from Stephanie were obviously meant to smear and undermine the new regime here at Forrester. Nick wants to find Stephanie, but Jarrett and Danica want to know who Captain Kramer is. "He's nothing, just like all of you!" Nick shouts. Jarrett asks Nick if he's sure Massimo Marone is really his father, since Mass may have been one of the men Jackie slept with. Nick grows upset at the question, but Donna interjects that their CEO has nothing else to say. She invites the reporters to speak with her more outside, but this show is over.

Off to the side, Taylor tries to get to Nick, but Ridge holds her back. She asks Ridge how he could do this to Nick. Ridge reminds her how angry Nick will be when he realizes how they knew about Kramer. Taylor retorts that he should have thought about that before. Thorne comes over and asks Taylor why she's not in Santa Barbara. She angrily asks if he saw what just happened on the runway. Clarke comes over and asks Thorne why he cold cocked him; he thought they were friends. Thorne replies that he thought they were until Clarke helped Nick steal their company. Clarke asks if that's why Thorne socked him and claims that he'd have helped if Thorne had just leveled with him.

Stephanie is stunned by Taylor's anger.

Jackie makes her way to her office. Stephanie follows in the hopes that she might reason with Jackie. Jackie thinks Stephanie must be mad to think she'd be reasonable now. Taylor comes in and tries to apologize; Jackie fumes that she encouraged Nick to trust Taylor. Stephanie tells Jackie that Taylor didn't betray any consequences, but Jackie doesn't believe her and storms off. Taylor tears into Stephanie, fuming that she ever trusted La Forrester. Stephanie again promises to protect Taylor, but Taylor is more concerned with the two people who Stephanie just humiliated. Stephanie can't believe Taylor feels sorry for the Marones and asks where Taylor's loyalties lie. Taylor wonders if she should be asking herself the same thing. She thinks back on her history with Stephanie, who paired her off with one of her sons and then the other. Stephanie can't believe that Taylor actually sees it that way. Taylor insists that she does. She recalls that this isn't the first time Stephanie has used her, but it's definitely the last. "If this is what being your best friend is," Taylor shouts, "then count me out!" Stephanie is stunned by the venom in Taylor's voice.

In the showroom, Ridge approaches the Marone board members, who are severely disappointed at how today's events will reflect on Marone Industries. George admits that he almost called Ridge when Nick proposed that they buy Forrester, but he decided not to since Ridge resigned from the Marone board. Suzanne regrets that the board was not aware of Nick's issues with Ridge's family. Ridge claims that Nick did a number on all of them. The worst part, George laments is that this turned into a public relations nightmare. He suggests that they call an emergency meeting of the Marone board to deal with this. Ridge points out how ill suited Nick is to run a fashion house and tells George to call him if he decides to sell the company. On the way out, George runs into Nick, who has no desire to talk now. Nick sees Ridge and asks where Jackie is. Ridge quips that Nick should check the elevator shafts. He then tells Nick about George's plans to call an emergency board meeting. Nick tells Ridge to keep doing what he does best and hide behind mommy's skirts.

Ridge tells Jackie that she has no one to blame but herself and Nick.

Backstage, Jackie asks Rita and Davis where she can find a back door out. Rita points one out, but it leads Jackie right into a throng of screaming reporters. Jackie makes her way to the showroom, relieved that no one is around, Ridge steps from the sidelines, a flute of champagne in his hand. He asks Jackie if she's planning a "Jackie's Bedroom" line. Jackie says that she used to feel sorry for him, but now she sees that he's just like his mother, taking delight in the pain of others. Ridge tells her that she has no one to blame but herself and her bastard son. Jackie reminds him that Nick is his brother. "Half-brother," Ridge corrects her, suggesting that she might need new offices. He offers to find someplace where she can meet her sea captains. Jackie cautions that he hasn't won yet.

Captain Kramer looks for Jackie in her office but finds Stephanie, who offers him money for his troubles. Kramer lights into her for lying through her teeth to get him here, just so she could parade him around like a pron star. And now she insults him by offering money? Stephanie tells him that the end justifies the means in this case. Kramer asks what something Jackie did 30 years ago has to do with selling dresses. Stephanie doesn't care to explain to him just what this company means to her family. Kramer senses the phony morality in Stephanie's tone; he admits that he did some lousy things in his time, but he can't hold a candle to Stephanie when it comes to nastiness. He storms off as Stephanie bids him bon voyage. Soon after, Nick comes looking for Jackie. Finding Stephanie, he calls her a bitch and asks why she couldn't come after just him in a fair fight. She points out that he blackmailed her family. Nick says he gave them a choice, but Stephanie thinks it was no choice at all. She warns Nick that the Marone board won't be too excited about this company after what happened today. Nick responds that she doesn't really know him at all. Stephanie tells him that Taylor had not part in this.

Thorne faces an angry Taylor.

Thorne finds Taylor, who is furious at him. He tries to tell her that Ridge and his mother would have gone ahead without him, but she doesn't think that excuses how he stabbed her in the back. Thorne argues that Nick stole his life's work, but Taylor is sick of hearing that! Thorne insists they only told the truth; Taylor can't believe that he doesn't see how wrong it was to humiliate someone the way he and his family did Nick and Jackie. Thorne tells her that she has no legal risk. Taylor thinks he of all people should understand her sense of obligation. Thorne asks to take her home to talk about this, but she thinks she'll get home on her own. Nick comes in and sees Taylor with Thorne; he accuses her of finally dealing with her guilt-ridden romance by finding a way to make it up to Thorne after taking his wife's life. "Well done," he sneers as he walks away. Thorne tells Taylor that Nick had no right to say that, but she disagrees; in fact, she wonders if Thorne thought it was OK to do this, even though he knew she'd be upset, because he thought she owes him.

Jackie confronts Captain Kramer.

Jackie makes her way to her office and finds Captain Kramer waiting for her. She asks why he's here. When he explains how Stephanie said she was her friend and wanted his help in surprising her, Jackie asks how he could think she'd want to see him. Kramer admits he was a fool to fall for it, but there's something he's wanted to tell her for 30 years. Jackie says she has something to tell him, too - and slaps him! Kramer says she hasn't lost her touch, recalling how they made love the last time she slapped him. What they shared wasn't love, Jackie says. Kramer says that he just wanted to help her out and did it the wrong way. He wants her to know that he was married when they were involved. She filled his head with all these thoughts, but he couldn't give her what he wanted to because of his marriage, so he gave her money instead. Jackie asks him to please leave; Kramer says she's looking great and leaves.

Backstage, Ridge tells Stephanie that things look good for the Marone board to sell them back the company. Stephanie sees Thorne and asks what he heard. He says that heard that they can have the company back in less than a month. Stephanie asks where Taylor is; Thorne asks what good getting Forrester back is if he loses Taylor. He wishes he had told her what was happening. Ridge tells Thorne not to get carried away, but Stephanie admits it was wrong to involve Thorne. Still, she's sure Taylor will forgive Thorne soon enough.