Monday, November 17, 2008, Episode #5442

Ridge and Brooke reunite on the beach at Malibu.
Hearing Ridge call her name, Brooke stops her horse and looks up to the cliff where Ridge is standing. She rides her horse toward the cliff as Ridge makes his way down to her. As Ridge helps her off her horse, Brooke notes that he came here, too, so it has to be right. She reflects on the fact that they found each other here, where their love was never stronger, yet she feels like that love is stronger than ever. "To find each other here on this stretch of the beach, what could it possibly mean?" Brooke asks. "How about destiny?" Ridge responds, kissing her. As they sit together on the beach, Ridge tells Brooke that she's a vision and is everything beautiful in this world. Brooke tells him that she can't even think about her world without him in it. As she muses that they're back at the place where they got married, she vows, "I will be your Logan forever." They kiss passionately as they make out on the beach.

Katie distracts Nick in a passionate way.
At the Marone mansion, Katie returns from checking on Jack and finds Nick playing some Nerf basketball. She asks how he is. Nick tells her that he's fine, since he's not going to worry about Brooke and Ridge. Glad to hear that, Katie hopes that Ridge and Brooke will work everything out. "Maybe they will, and maybe they won't," Nick offers as he kisses Katie, who still looks worried. Feeling down over all this talk about Ridge and Brooke, Nick suggests that Katie stop obsessing about those two. He just hopes these bad vibes don't somehow affect Jack. Katie agrees. Nick asks Katie to find out when they should bring Jack back to Brooke. Katie suggests that they wait a while, since Brooke seemed so upset before. Even though she thinks Ridge and Brooke can survive anything, she still worries that the situation with Rick has put a strain on their relationship. Nick reiterates that Ridge might not win if he forces Brooke to choose between him and her kids. Thinking things are again getting way too serious, Nick hands Katie the Nerf ball and tells her to leave Brooke and Ridge to their own lives. He and Katie play for a while and then start to make out. Nick teases that he likes the way she distracts him. Katie tells him that she loves him and their family and hopes nothing ever has to change. Nick assures her that nothing has to change and asks if she has anything else on her mind. Katie says she has one thing. Nick playfully asks what it is, but when Katie starts to kiss him more passionately, he quips that he's distracted again and kisses her back.

Eric can't understand why Ridge and Brooke are fighting.
In Eric's office, Thorne recounts how Stephanie told him that Ridge and Brooke are fighting. Eric hopes Stephanie isn't involved, since he instructed her to accept that Ridge and Brooke are together. Thorne doesn't think his mom is involved, since she seemed confused about what caused it. Eric thinks Stephanie must be misinformed since they all heard Brooke's impassioned words about Ridge on the podcast. After the glowing way Brooke spoke about Ridge, Eric can't see what might cause problems for the couple. Thorne wonders if it might have something to do with Rick.

Does this guy look like Owen? Thorne thinks he does.
Thorne leaves to meet with a group of models who are auditioning for the spring line. After collecting all their bios, he gives them some instructions and sends them downstairs to where the auditions will take place. As the models file out, Thorne thinks he spots Owen in the group and pulls him aside, but he then sees that it's just someone who resembles Owen and apologizes.

Thorne gives Eric a warning about Rick.
Thorne returns to Eric's office to report on the auditions and informs his dad about an issue with their fabric order from the Philippines. Eric doesn't answer, since he's distracted by a photo of him and Ridge from the Portofino Challenge. Thorne sees that Eric is preoccupied and says they can talk later. Eric recalls what Thorne said earlier about Rick possibly causing Ridge and Brooke's problems and wonders if he might have caused them himself by promoting Rick over Ridge. He points out that Rick never had the chances Ridge and Thorne had, but he still did well at Forrester International. Thorne counters that running the international division is a far cry from running the whole company. Eric just wishes Ridge had agreed to share the presidency with Rick, but Thorne thinks Eric had to know Ridge would never do that. Eric asks why Ridge has to be so arrogant; Thorne thinks that's a question for the ages, although it's nothing new. Eric wishes all his kids would learn to be more generous with each other, especially given all Rick's recent problems. Thorne sarcastically asks how running the company will solve Rick's problems. "Responsibility has a way of doing that," Eric states, commenting that he felt he did what was best for the company. Thorne understands why Eric is acting like a father here, but he fears that Rick is and always has been a divisive force in the company. "Keep an eye on him. This is a guy with an agenda," Thorne warns.

At Brooke's, Rick asks Stephanie to acknowledge that he caused Ridge and Brooke's relationship to implode. Stephanie tells him that she doesn't like being put in this position. Rick tells her to stop taking the moral high ground, since it doesn't suit her. He admits he doesn't know her as well as he used to having spent a few years at Forrester International, but he doesn't think she knows him either. Stephanie says she knows him well enough, since she sees how he made his way to the top by manipulating his parents. The saddest part for her is that he's a Forrester, so she can't understand how he can treat his brothers and sisters like this. Rick reminds her that Ridge is her bastard son with Massimo and is therefore not his brother. "That's a really smart way to get me to partner with you," Stephanie quips. Rick tells her that he learned at International to work together with his foes if they shared a common goal, but Stephanie states that she doesn't share his thirst for revenge on Ridge. But they both want the same end result, Rick points out, and that's to break up Brooke and Ridge. Stephanie admits she wants them apart, but not enough to participate in this lie. She warns Rick that the results of his scheme might be different than what he intended. Rick asks why she's pass up a chance to break his mom and Ridge up. Stephanie predicts that those two will break up anyway on their own, but Rick doesn't think that will happen.

Rick tries to recruit Stephanie as an ally.
Rick tells Stephanie that his mom will never forgive him if she finds out what he did, and that will just push Brooke closer to Ridge than ever. He bets that Stephanie won't care if Brooke never speaks to him again, but Stephanie says that she does care. She knows he may not believe this, but she thinks he's a smart fellow. That's why she can't bear to see him waste his talent by fighting with Ridge and desperately seeking Brooke's approval, although she blames Brooke for all that. Sensing that Stephanie thinks he's needy where his parents are concerned, Rick admits that he is, but he lays the blame on Ridge for being Eric's golden boy and the center of Brooke's world, all at his expense. Stephanie tells him to grow up, forgive his parents and move on, but Rick says that he is moving on as the President of the company. Stephanie tells Rick that she has one good reason not to help him, informing him about her promise to Eric not to interfere with Brooke and Ridge. Rick says that Eric will never find out. Stephanie asks what he'll do when Ridge finds out the truth about the podcast. Rick brags that he'll call it a computer glitch. He then asks Stephanie to consider Eric's health, as he doesn't think either Eric or the company can survive the scandal that will ensue if his scheme is exposed. Stephanie calls him a con artist, but she agrees to keep quiet. However, she warns that on one can find out. Rick reminds her that he can't say anything and assures her that they'll both be happy when he's done, since Ridge and Brooke and all their talk about destiny will just fade into the sunset.