Friday, December 19, 2008, Episode #5464

Thorne is upset when Owen exposes his deception.
On the Forrester jet, the flight attendant, Amanda, asks Donna if she'd like something to drink once they're in the air. Donna asks for some tea. "Certainly, Mrs... Um, Miss... uh..." Amanda stammers. Donna says it's OK, as she doesn't really know who she is, either. Meanwhile, at Forrester, Owen explains to Eric that the couple he saw making love on the monitor wasn't Donna and him, but rather was a pair of lookalike models who were paid to make Eric think the worst. Eric wonders who'd do that to him. Owen guesses that the answer is waiting right behind Eric's office door and opens it to reveal an eavesdropping Thorne. Eric is stunned when his son admits what he did. Thorne argues that Eric would have caught Donna and Owen together eventually, so he just made sure Eric caught them in the act sooner rather than later. Eric asks Thorne how he could do this to him. Thorne asks how Eric could just throw Stephanie out like he did in favor of Donna, insisting that he knows better than anyone what Donna is capable of. But the family rallied to bring him to his senses when he lost his head over Donna, so he was just returning the favor for his dad.

Owen tells Thorne off.
Thorne calls Owen a "stupid bastard" and asks why he didn't just keep his mouth shut and seize the chance to have Donna. Owen insists that Donna didn't want him. Thorne argues that there was a time when Donna didn't want him, either, but she went after him anyway, and that's why he's concerned about his father being with Donna. Owen is sick of Thorne and his family persecuting Donna because they can't accept that she loves Eric. He just hopes Eric gets to Donna in time.

Eric surprises Donna on the jet.
After the Forrester jet takes off, Amanda brings Donna's tea. When Donna sees a bear shaped honey bottle on the tray with the tea, she asks Amanda to take the honey bear away. "Did someone mention my name?" Eric asks, entering the cabin. Donna is shocked to see him on board. Eric tells Donna that he did something he's ashamed of, and he wants to tell her about it. He then explains that he felt weak and vulnerable and old after the heart attack and didn't trust her, so he installed a hidden camera in Owen's office to see if and when she would give in to Owen. Donna is confused, because she knows that he would have seen that nothing happened. Eric explains that he thought that he saw her and Owen tearing each other's clothes off, and that's why he told her that their marriage was over. But then he learned that the two people he saw on camera were models who were paid to make him think that she and Owen were mocking him behind his back. Donna guesses that one of his children must have been the one to pay those models and asks if it was Thorne. Eric confirms that it was.

Donna is glad to be reunited with Eric.
Eric apologizes to Donna for losing faith in their relationship and asks for her forgiveness. He quips that he let the pilot take off once he was on board in the hope that she wouldn't push him out a window in mid-air, but he then gets serious and asks her again to forgive him. Donna says there is nothing to forgive, but Eric thinks he should have believed her when she said nothing was going on with Owen. But he believed what he saw on that monitor instead of confronting her. "What do you want me to do, torture you for a few months?" Donna asks, wondering if he takes her for being like Stephanie. She admits that had she seen a video of him having foreplay with someone who looked like Stephanie, she would have seen red, too. Eric tells Amanda that he and his wife won't be needing any more cabin service tonight and would like some privacy. As Amanda leaves the cabin, Donna notes that Eric called her his wife. Eric asks if she has any objections. Donna says that she doesn't, but she also doesn't expect everything to be like it was. Eric tells her that he loves her so much and asks if she'll love him again as his wife. "Yes," Donna responds, and they kiss.

Ridge tells Brooke that he wants Rick to move back to Paris.
As he sits on the sofa with Brooke in front of the fire, Ridge asks her to stay with him here. Brooke says she wants to be there for him and his children, just like he's been there for Rick. Ridge asks if Rick will be coming back tonight. When Brooke says he will, Ridge offer to leave, but Brooke asks him to stay and tells him that she plans to make Rick step down from the presidency at Forrester. Ridge says he needs more than that, so Brooke tells him to name it. Ridge says that he'll keep his word not to press charges against Rick, but that doesn't mean he trusts Rick. He can't bear to even look at Rick and doesn't want him around, so he wants Rick to move back to Paris to work at Forrester International again. Brooke isn't too sure about that idea, since it's so close to Christmas, but Ridge reminds her that the holidays will be tough for all of them. He knows Brooke loves her son, but Rick tried to break them up twice and took his job, and now Phoebe is dead. Ridge just wants his life back, but he doesn't feel like he can get it with Rick around. Brooke reluctantly agrees. Ridge doesn't think Rick will accept anything that sounds like an ultimatum from him, so he asks Brooke to tell Rick that he has to leave town.

Rick confronts Stephanie.
Rick stops by the Forrester mansion, but Stephanie tells him that he's not welcome there. Rick reminds her that this is his father's house and asks Stephanie about her desire to see him behind bars. Stephanie says that what she really wants is for her granddaughter to be alive and well, but that's not possible, so she'll settle for Rick being held accountable for his actions. Rick admits that he's scum and has done a lot that he's ashamed of, but he thinks she's hardly one to judge him after all the things she's done to hurt and abuse his parents over the years. "They're still alive and breathing," Stephanie retorts. Rick admits that he hurt Phoebe, but he did not kill her, and he won't tolerate anyone saying that he did. Stephanie tells Rick that he was at fault for what happened because of his reckless driving. When Rick says there was a reason for how he drove, Stephanie scolds him for not taking any real responsibility for what he did. He just hopes Brooke's other kids don't turn out like him. Fed up, Rick turns to leave, but not before Stephanie warns that what he did to Phoebe will haunt him for the rest of his life.

Stephanie tries again to get through to Ridge.
After Rick leaves, Ridge stops by to see his mother. Stephanie tells him that he just missed Rick. Ridge asks what Rick wanted. Stephanie doesn't want to go there, but she wants Ridge to realize that Rick will just keep going with a false sense of entitlement and show up anywhere he wants unless Ridge presses charges. Ridge tells his mother not to worry, since Brooke is taking care of that as they speak.

Brooke begs Rick to go back to Paris.
Rick arrives at his mom's house and tells her that he just saw Stephanie, who he thinks will accept his situation for what is is. Brooke says that's because of Ridge. Rick asks if she wants him to thank Ridge, but Brooke says that she's not that naive. Still, she needs him to understand that she and Ridge love each other and respect each others needs. Rick doesn't want to talk about this, but Brooke reminds him that she still has her son while Ridge just lost a daughter. That's why she wants to take care to respect Ridge's feelings and shield him from any future pain. Rick asks how she intends to do that, so Brooke tells him to step down from the presidency of Forrester. Rick wants to talk to Eric about it, but Brooke thinks it's a reasonable request and suggests that Rick take his old life back running Forrester International in Paris. Upset, Rick accuses his mom of seeing him as a killer, just like Stephanie, and of taking Ridge's side. Brooke says she's just doing what's best for everyone. Rick asks how packing him away to Paris with the holidays approaching is best for everyone. Brooke reminds him that Ridge is grieving, but Rick says that he's grieving, too. That's why Brooke thinks they need to take the time to heal, and she thinks Rick can do that in Paris. Rick reminds his mom how she brought him home when they lost the company, and he thinks it's unfair that she's letting Ridge have his way. "For now," Brooke qualifies, but Rick doesn't see Ridge letting him come home. Brooke asks him to show Ridge some compassion. She knows she is his mother, but she also loves Ridge and sees him suffering, so she begs Rick to please go back to Paris for her.