Friday, February 22, 2008, Episode #5255

Nick is glad to see Taylor looking well.

At the Marone mansion, Nick is glad to hear Taylor sounding like the woman he fell in love with again. Taylor admits that she felt stronger once she started eating better, exercising and getting her head together, and that helped her find inner peace. She's just sorry how things ended, since she really thought Nick was the love of her life. Nick says it's good to see her so well and points out that he left messages for her. Taylor apologizes for not returning his calls, but she wasn't ready to see him, although she did text him that she was OK. Even so, Nick confesses, it was hard not to worry, since love never dies for him. It just shifts and changes, and he guesses that's part of his problem. Taylor agrees that sometimes it's hard to let go and asks what he'll do if Brooke marries Ridge. Nick supposes he'll just get over it. Taylor tells him that she wants the best for him and only wants him to be happy. Nick says he wants the same for her, and he's just sorry she couldn't find her happiness with him.

Taylor tells Nick that she's taking Jack home.

Taylor praises Nick for being a wonderful husband and explains that she just couldn't share him in their marriage. She asks if he understands. Nick says he does. Taylor says that she had to make a change to keep the stress from getting to her. Nick hopes that change is for the better. Taylor thinks it is, since she feels like her old self. That's the self that's closest to his heart, Nick admits. Taylor suggests that maybe they're better off hanging out together not being married. Nick sighs that she might be right. Taylor then says that she's going up for the baby. Nick is pleased that she wants to say goodnight before she leaves, but Taylor says that she's taking Jack back to Bel Air with her. Nick insists that she's not taking Jack anywhere, stating, "You walked out on us." "I walked out on YOU," Taylor contests, stating that she didn't leave her child. Nick contends that she left both him and Jack, but Taylor refuses to leave her without her baby.

Storm tells Donna that he is ready to confess.

At Brooke's house, Donna apologizes to Storm for betraying him, but Storm is fine with how things turned out, since he's sure Stephanie would have held this secret over their family indefinitely. Katie doesn't want to just sit by waiting for Lt. Baker to arrest Storm and decides to go talk to Stephanie one more time. After Katie leaves, Donna agrees that they can't just sit around here. Brooke doesn't see any point in trying to dissuade Stephanie and prays that Lt. Baker might not believe Stephanie given how Stephanie changed her story so many times. Storm tells Brooke and Donna that he appreciates what they're doing for him, but he thinks the best thing for him to do now is confess. Even if he goes to jail, his confession will ensure that Stephanie can't control their family any more. A tearful Donna gives Storm a hug as Brooke looks on.

Stephanie berates Eric for his deception.

At the Forrester mansion, Stephanie berates Eric for letting the scandal of his affair with Donna affect the business and the family, but Eric doesn't really care what the press thinks, because he knows how happy he is when he's with Donna. Stephanie accuses Eric of only caring about himself. Eric admits that he wasn't always the perfect husband, but he points out that Stephanie never took any responsibility for the problems in their marriage, including her lies to him from the very beginning. Stephanie tells him not to drag up ancient history, but Eric counters that he's lost count of the number of lies she's told while they've been married. Reminding her of all the times she's talked about moral accountability, he suggests she look in the mirror. Stephanie argues that his poor judgment caused this mess, but he places blame on her need to control the lives of everyone around her without any regard to who gets hurt, including her own family. Stephanie states that she only did what was best for the family, but Eric is tired of hearing that "old saw" again after all these years and asks her to for once show some compassion. Just then, Katie arrives and asks to speak to Stephanie alone, so Stephanie leads her to the study.

Brooke tries to calm Ridge down.

Ridge and Eric are still in the living room when Brooke, Donna and Storm walk in. Ridge lashes out at Storm, ordering the eldest Logan sibling to get out of this house now! Brooke tries to calm Ridge down, but Ridge can't stand the sight of the sick bastard who shot Ridge's mother and tried to pin it on his own father. Storm agrees with Ridge's assessment and states that he's turning himself in. Ridge states that Storm has no choice and suggests that Storm use his time rotting in prison to consider what he did. "Your mother isn't exactly innocent in all this," Storm reminds Ridge, warning that it will be worth it to turn himself in if it takes away Stephanie's hold over the Logan family and allows Donna to stay together with Eric.

Eric comforts Donna.

Eric finds Donna on the terrace, crying about her brother's fate. He apologizes for not being able to stop Stephanie. Donna blames herself for what happened by not holding up her end of her deal with Stephanie. Eric tells her not to blame herself, since he can't imagine life without her. Donna tells Eric that she loves him, but it's still killing her that she's sending her brother to jail. Eric tells her that Storm is not going to prison because of anything they did, since Storm committed a serious crime. But even so, he vows to do everything in his power to mount a strong defense for Storm, including informing the courts that Storm is already in therapy and bringing Donna's parents back to L.A. if necessary. Donna thanks him for being willing to protect her brother. Eric reminds her that they may not succeed. But no matter what happens, he sees how this whole ordeal is classic Stephanie, with her attempts to control the lives of others. At least they'll all finally be free of Stephanie when this is over, he muses. Donna reminds her "honey bear" that her brother will still be in prison. Giving him a hug, she tells Eric that her world is falling apart, but at least she feels safe in his arms.

Katie makes one last plea to Stephanie.

In the study, Stephanie advises Katie that any pleas on Storm's behalf won't make a difference. Katie thinks she understands Stephanie's actions, since she knows how losing someone to someone else makes you feel so small. Stephanie thinks that sounds more like something Felicia would say than something she'd expect to hear from a Logan girl, but Katie suggests that their two families are more alike than Stephanie cares to admit. She knows Storm did a terrible thing, but she also knows that her big brother was the one who picked her up when she felt small. She thinks Stephanie should understand the anger that drove Storm to do what he did, since she knows that Stephanie grew up angry and resentful because of her own troubled childhood. Stephanie argues that this isn't about her childhood, but Katie counters that Stephanie knows full well how growing up angry can cause someone to focus all that anger on one person in horrible ways, even if that person doesn't deserve it, given all the terrible things Stephanie did to Brooke over the years. Even if that's true, Stephanie puts forth, anger can't excuse Storm putting a bullet in her. Katie says this isn't about excusing what Storm did, but about showing compassion. She thinks Stephanie can look in her heart and show some compassion to Storm, not for Storm's sake, but for her own. Stephanie is moved by Katie's plea, but her mind is made up. She tells Katie that she's sorry and leaves the room.