Thursday, July 03, 2008, Episode #5347

Stephanie, Felicia and Thorne have something to show Eric.

Eric is in his office, fitting some models with help from a young man named Tim who just started in the sewing room after graduating from Brooks College. Stephanie, Thorne and Felicia come in to see Eric, who sends Tim and the models off. Eric asks his ex-wife and kids what brings them by. They show him the latest Fashion Wear Daily that features him, Donna and Marcus on the cover with the tag line "The New Future of Forrester." The kids are furious about what that tag line says about their family, but Eric isn't concerned at all about it. He tells his children that he doesn't see having Donna's grown son working in their shipping department as the disaster that they and Ridge do. Thorne argues that they're just trying to protect him, but Eric can't see what he needs to be protected from. Felicia whines to her dad that it seems like it's "out with the old and in with the new" for him, to the point where they wonder if they even matter to him anymore. Thorne agrees, since he feels like their opinions and business judgement are getting swept away more and more each day, which makes them all feel belittled. Trying to intervene, Stephanie asks Eric if she can have moment alone with him, so Thorne and Felicia leave.

Eric assures Stephanie that he's not pushing their children aside.

Stephanie tells Eric that she's not happy seeing him at odds with the children. Eric says that he's not happy about it either and asks if he has to choose a side. Stephanie states that the children feel like he already has. She thinks it was quite gracious for him to accept Donna's grown son, but then he's always been very trusting when he's in love. She hopes he's not being angry with their kids just because they wish their parents will reunite, and she doesn't want him to overlook how his recent actions impact their children. Eric assures her that he's not pushing their children aside. Not intentionally, Stephanie says. But even though she's accepted that their marriage is over, the kids are disappointed that their parents aren't together, so she hopes he won't be angry at them just for hoping. Eric understands, but he also feels that Marcus shouldn't be made a target of their children's anger, since Marcus is a good kid who only wanted to meet his mom. Stephanie says she doesn't want to criticize, since she understands that he wants to focus on his family now. But she thinks a little reassurance to the people he loves that he's not neglecting them will go a long way. Eric agrees, but he thinks their kids have to learn to live and let live, since they have no reason to feel worried. "Marcus Walton is not a threat to anyone," he assures.

Marcus explains to Owen why he's been out of touch.

In Forrester's rooftop lounge, Marcus asks Owen how he got past security. Owen says that he claimed to have an appointment with Marcus. He's is glad that his fronting Marcus the money to come to L.A. paid off, since Marcus hit the jackpot with the family his birth mother married into. He recalls how Marcus always wanted to know who his birth mother is, and thanks to him, Marcus knows now. Marcus says he's grateful for that. "How grateful?" Owen asks, pointing out how lucky Marcus is to have someone like Donna as a birth mother. Marcus agrees that Donna's a great lady, and he admits that he was almost ready to give up finding her before coming to L.A. "But then you found me, and I produced," Owen boasts. He tells Marcus that he was waiting to hear from him, and when he didn't, he wondered if Marcus was trying to avoid settling up with him. Marcus says he was just laying low as Donna asked, but Owen points out that he doesn't have to lay low now that everyone knows he's Donna's son. He's glad things worked out for Marcus, but he didn't put him on a plane to L.A. out of the goodness of his heart, so expects to be paid now. He doesn't think that should be a problem given that Marcus's birth mother is married to a wealthy man.

Owen wants what's owed him.

Marcus reminds Owen that even if his step-father has money, he doesn't. Owen notes that Marcus is now working for the family business, but Marcus counters that he's not exactly earning big bucks in the shipping department. It's not like he has a trust fund. "Not yet," Owen retorts, adding that the least Marcus could have done was send him a check. Instead, he had to get on a plane to collect his money in person, so he rightfully should add his expenses to Marcus's bill, but he'll settle for his $2,500 fee - plus a small bonus, since he feels like he's entitled to a little something extra for the way he changed Marcus's life. Marcus says he'll pay Owen's fee as soon as he can, but as far as anything else... Owen cuts him off and says that he doesn't want to dwell on the particulars, but he wants to be sure that Marcus remembers just who's responsible for his newly-found happiness.

Nick and Jack welcome Bridget home.

Nick is in his living room playing with Jack when Bridget comes home from work. Nick picks up Jack and tells him that Bridget is the "epitome of beauty," leading Bridget to think that Nick wants to sweet talk her into something. Nick says he is and kisses her. He then asks if she's tired after work. Not anymore, she replies, so Nick kisses her again.

Bridget thanks Nick for letting her be in his and Jack's lives.

After Bridget puts Jack to bed, she comes down and finds Nick sorting mail. When Nick teases that Jack told him how beautiful she is, Bridget asks what he wants from her. Nick tells her that he wants just what he has right there and starts to kiss her again. Bridget gushes about how just seeing Jack makes her problems go away, just like she imagined it would be when she was pregnant with Nicole. She thanks Nick for letting her spend all this time with him and Jack and kisses him. Nick tells her that she's beautiful and kisses her back. He leads her over to the couch, where they keep making out.

Brooke has some questions for Katie.

Upstairs, Brooke is talking to Katie. Katie asks Brooke why she came back after dropping their parents at her place. Brooke asks Katie about her feelings for Nick. Katie says that she and Nick are just friends, and she thinks he's amazing, since she doesn't know where she'd be without Nick and Bridget. "He was there for you and gave you the will to hang on," Brooke notes. Katie admits that she and Nick shared some incredible moments and wonders where Brooke is going with all this. Brooke asks if she should be concerned as Bridget's mom. Katie assumes that Brooke is asking her if she's going to go after Nick now that she's not on her deathbed. She assures her sister that neither she nor Bridget has any reason to worry. Brooke asks Katie if her feelings for Nick just disappeared. Katie thinks Brooke of all people should know that it doesn't work that way, but she loves Bridget too much to ever hurt her, and so does Nick. Brooke believes her, but she's still concerned, since she knows that Katie has never had these kinds of feelings for a man before. She reminds Katie that she knows from experience how hard it is to walk away from Nick. Katie insists that she won't hurt Bridget, but Brooke tells her sister that she's worried about her, too, since she fears Katie might retreat into her shell over her sacrifice. Katie states that this is what she and Nick want, for Bridget to be happy and to have a life with Nick. "Is that too much to believe?" she asks. Brooke says it isn't and hugs Katie, but she still looks concerned.