Friday, August 15, 2008, Episode #5378

Ridge tells Brooke about the warning he gave Marcus.

Brooke finds Ridge pensively pacing around his empty former office at Forrester. She asks why he's subjecting himself to the pain of being here. He tells her that he at least still has enough clout to get in the building, even if he's been forced away from the company itself. Brooke asks how Eric is. Ridge says that nothing has changed, and he gripes that even though Donna was right not to give up on Eric, she's dead wrong about what's best for the company. Brooke thinks they can sort that out when Eric recovers and suggests that he use his time off from the company to be with his kids. Ridge remarks that Steffy is a bit occupied with Marcus. Doing what? Brooke asks. "I can tell you what they better not be doing," Ridge snipes, informing Brooke of his little "talk" with Marcus where he warned the young man to stay away from Steffy. Brooke asks him if he's really in the right place to get involved since Steffy is grown-up and he's under so much stress. Ridge charges that Marcus is nearly a total stranger who got his hooks into the family through a long-lost mother who just took over this company, and he fears the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. He fumes that Marcus might be looking for a bigger chunk of the Forrester pie, just like Mommy. Brooke asks if he really thinks Marcus is using Steffy to get further into the family. Ridge points out that he barely knows the guy other than the fact that Marcus is aggressively pursuing Steffy when he's expressly been told not to.

Brooke gives Ridge some advice.

Brooke points out that Marcus and Steffy are young and suggests that they might really be in love, and she reminds Ridge that they didn't care about what their parents thought when they were that age. Ridge concedes her point, but he can't just back away and chalk it up to young love. If he feels that way, Brooke kids, maybe they shouldn't get married until she and Stephanie are the best of friends. "Would you do that?" Ridge laughs. "No way," Brooke smiles. She then gets serious and reminds him how things got violent last year when he tried to come between Rick and Phoebe. She doesn't think either of them want a repeat performance of that. Ridge says that he just wants to protect his family, but it keeps getting harder. Maybe it's easier than he thinks, Brooke supposes. Ridge thinks she's just saying that because Donna and Marcus are family. Brooke admits she doesn't know a lot about Marcus, but she knows that Ridge's life is crazy right now and just wants to help. Ridge says that she has helped just by keeping him sane and they kiss. Ridge thanks her for always knowing how to lighten his mood. Brooke suggests that they go home. Ridge agrees, since he doesn't want to run into Donna and argue about her son. He doesn't trust Donna or her kid, so he hopes Marcus heeds his warning to stay away from Steffy. "If he doesn't, he'll deal with me," warns Ridge.

Marcus tells Steffy that he wants to earn her family's trust.

Marcus and Steffy are still passionately making out on the large chaise/bed in the private cabana at Bikini Beach. Things are getting hot and heavy until they're interrupted by a cabana boy who thought the cabana was empty and came to restock the towels. Annoyed, Marcus and Steffy shoo the young man away, but they start laughing hysterically after he leaves since they both feared it was Ridge interrupting. Marcus just wishes he could win Ridge over. Steffy tells him not to worry, as she's sure her dad will come around in time, but Marcus doesn't want to mess up what they have. He sees how much the Forresters are all about family and knows how Ridge would freak out if he knew what they were doing here today, so he wants to do things the "proper way" by getting to know her family and earning his way in so he can prove to Ridge that he's worthy. He tells Steffy that he's not giving her up, but he needs Ridge to know that and that he's a man who can take care of Ridge's little girl like any other guy in Beverly Hills.

Steffy tells Marcus that she loves him.

Marcus then kisses Steffy, who tells him how impressed she is by his attitude and kisses him back. Steffy then rests her head on Marcus's chest and asks what he's thinking. He tells her that he thinks he's the luckiest guy in the world, but she thinks she's the lucky one. Marcus tells her that his life changed after finding her and his mother. She tells him that he didn't find her, because they were just waiting for each other. Marcus tells her that he loves her too much to lose her, no matter what her dad wants. Steffy tells him that she loves him too and they kiss again.

Nick tells Katie that he loves her.

In Brooke's living room, Nick and Katie look at each other longingly as he strokes her hair. Katie tells him again that she can't regret having his child. "If it's wrong," Nick confesses, "then I'm guilty, too." Katie asks if he really means it. Pacing around the room, Nick tells her that it's confusing. It should have felt wrong, but it didn't, even though he knew the potential consequences they're experiencing now, and he kept asking himself why. He tells her that his prayer that night on the island was that she would know how how he felt before she died. Now they're here and he hopes she can feel that he loves her. Tears streaming down her face, Katie is stunned. Nick hopes he hasn't upset her. Katie says that he hasn't, because she loves him too, and she thinks he knows that. That's why it's so special for her to carry his baby and share it with him, but she knows deep down that they can't. They have to, Nick insists, because this baby isn't going away. Katie tries to protest, but Nick tells her that their child will be so special, because it was conceived in the most magical moment. Katie feels like she's dreaming, since she never thought she'd hear those words from him. But she knows she's not dreaming. She sobs that she doesn't know if she's allowed to feel happy or excited and begs Nick to help her, as part of her hates herself for feeling this way.