Tuesday, March 11, 2008, Episode #5267

Felicia and Stephanie are upset by Eric's declaration.

At the Forrester mansion, Felicia begs Eric not to leave their family, since she feels like everything will change if he goes back to Donna. Eric assures her that nothing will break the bonds that the members of their family share. He turns to Stephanie and salutes her for being the jewel of their family and promises that she'll always have a piece of his heart. He then reminds his children that no matter how old they are, he's still their father, which means he hates to disappoint them. Nevertheless, he needs to make his intentions clear, so he announces, "I'm gonna marry Donna." Felicia breaks down into tears at her father's declaration. Eric hugs her and tells her that this doesn't change anything between them, and he thanks her for what she did tonight for him and Stephanie. However, those words of comfort offer little solace for Felicia, who can't believe this is happening. With the mood of the evening shattered, Eric leaves, leaving the children to rally around Stephanie. "I guess I didn't get my miracle, did I?" Stephanie laments as her kids try to comfort her over what they feel is a stupid mistake on their father's part. Pam walks in and sees her depressed sister being comforted by her children. Pam fumes that Eric has gone back to his "hot tamale" and vows to herself that she won't let Donna get away with this.

Bridget tells her mom that she's been spending time with Nick.

Bridget shows up at Brooke's house. Brooke is surprised to see her, since she thought Bridget was working tonight. Bridget explains that the doctor she was filling in for came in after all, so she was able to head home. Brooke is glad to hear that her busy daughter caught a break for a change. Bridget agrees, although she wishes she had known sooner so she didn't have to spoil her plans for the evening. Brooke asks what kind of plans she had, so Bridget reveals that she's been spending a lot of time with Nick lately, helping him with Jack. When Brooke asks if that's a good idea given how Bridget's been hurt by her feelings for Nick before, Bridget wonders if that's the only reason for her mother's concern and asks if Brooke still has feelings for Nick. Brooke answers that she'll always have feelings for Nick, since they share a son. Bridget knows that, but she can't help but wonder if her mother still harbors hope of getting back with Nick, and she asks if that's what's delayed her mom's wedding to Ridge. Brooke insists that she just wants to make sure that Bridget isn't hurt again.

Brooke tells Bridget that she's committed to Ridge.

Bridget admits that she had reservations about getting back with Nick, but Katie convinced her to give it a try. Brooke is upset that Katie is pushing Nick on Bridget, but Bridget assures her mom that Katie just pointed out that Nick needs help with the baby. Brooke points out that she could help Nick, but Bridget doesn't see how that would work if Brooke wants to marry Ridge. Still, she knows how vulnerable Nick is to Brooke, so Bridget asks Brooke how she feels about him. Brooke answers that she and Nick just share a child. "Then when are you gonna marry Ridge?" Bridget asks, suspecting that Ridge has asked Brooke these very same questions. Just then, Ridge comes home and starts to open the door; hearing Brooke and Bridget talking, he stands outside on the porch, holding the door open a tiny crack so he can listen. Brooke tells Bridget that she asked Ridge to get married immediately, but he wanted her to take a bit more time. Feeling like she's been down this road before, Bridget comes right out and asks Brooke how she feels about Nick and Jack. Brooke sees the door slightly ajar and spots Ridge standing outside eavesdropping, so she tells Bridget that she and Ridge plan to get married. "Whatever happens with Nick and with his future is up to him," she declares. Bridget is happy to hear that her mom intends to spend the rest of her life with Ridge.

Katie and Nick find they have a lot in common.

At the Marone mansion, Nick thanks Katie for her advice and her babysitting. Katie is about to leave when she spots a jigsaw puzzle on the table. She explains that she gets obsessed with solving puzzles, so Nick tells her to knock herself out. As Katie opens the box and starts to place the puzzle pieces on the table, she asks Nick if he has any scotch, although she only wants a tiny bit since she'll be driving later. Surprised by Katie's choice of drink, Nick's more than happy to offer her some, pouring a glass for himself as well. Nick starts to read over some paperwork while Katie works on the puzzle, but she gets a bit loud in her enthusiasm as she starts to fit the pieces together. Nick offers her some pistachios to eat while she works with the puzzle; Katie tells him that he must have read her mind, since she loves pistachios. When Katie remarks that she read that pistachios are more fattening than they look, Nick tells her not to believe everything she reads. Katie asks if he thinks she's fat. Nick asks why she'd think that, since he thinks she's pretty. But not as pretty as her sister, Katie guesses, pointing out that she's always been the "ugly duckling" of the family. Nick suggests that she won't find guys sitting there doing puzzles, so she suggests he sit down and help. As he sits down on the floor next to her, Nick starts to realize how unlike her sisters Katie is, while Katie sees that Nick's a lot more fun than she thought. They start to playfully banter back and forth about whether or not they care what other people think of them.

Donna is thrilled by Eric's news.

Donna is thrilled when Eric returns to the love nest after the party. He reminds her that he promised he'd come back earlier, but Donna confesses that she was unsure how the evening would go. Eric tells her that it was an amazing evening and he was moved by his family's sentiment, but the night still ended with his declaring to everyone, including, "what's her name, Stephanie," that he intended to marry Donna. Donna is thrilled by the news. Eric suggests they open some champagne to celebrate, although the only food he has to go with it are some lemon bars that Pam gave him earlier. "Oh, my God, don't eat those!" Donna exclaims, revealing to Eric how his nut job of a sister in law came here earlier with her attack dog and threatened to kill her if she even considered marrying him. She insists that Pam is certifiable, but Eric assures her that Pam is just protective of her sister. He points out that Pam will be going home to Chicago very soon and asks her to just forget about Pam and Stephanie and focus on their future instead.

Eric tells Donna not to worry about Pam.

Donna thanks Eric for being so understanding. She guesses he's right that Pam just wanted to scare her, and she agrees that she shouldn't even be thinking about that when she and Eric have each other. Eric reminds her that they have a future to plan and suggests that get started by making decisions about the wedding. Laughing that he he wants to get married right now, he puts his hands on Donna's face and kisses her. He then tells Donna again not to worry about Stephanie or Pam, because he's sure that Pam is harmless. "She's harmless," Donna repeats, like she's trying to convince herself.