Tuesday, October 14, 2008, Episode #5418

Owen shares his idea with Donna.

At Owen's place, Donna pours herself some wine. Owen tells her that she doesn't need that, but she thinks she does. Owen tells her how amazed he is at her pure, unselfish actions to protect the man she loves. While drinking her wine, Donna wonders how she can be sure that Pam will keep her end of the bargain and leave Eric alone. She fears Pam might kill Eric anyway and doesn't know how she'll cope if that happens, since Eric will have died thinking she didn't love him. Owen asserts that there may be a way to get her husband back and suggests that she meet with Eric secretly to tell him everything, but Donna is sure Pam will find out somehow, putting the members of Donna's family at risk. She thanks Owen for trying, but she supposes that Eric is better off alive and with Stephanie than he is dead. Still, she wonders how she is supposed to let Eric go. Owen offers to help her. Donna thanks him, since she doesn't think she could have gotten through this without him and his strength.

Donna looks at wedding photos and reflects on her marriage.

Donna takes another drink. Owen tells her that she's had enough wine and takes her glass and the wine bottle away. Donna sighs that she's just so exhausted, so Owen sends her upstairs to his bed, offering to sleep on the couch. Donna thanks him and goes upstairs. In the bedroom, she sits on the bed and gazes longingly at a wedding photo of her and Eric on her phone/PDA. She hesitantly touches the screen to bring up the menu and taps the delete button, removing the photo from the phone. Owen comes upstairs and sits on the bed behind her, caressing her. He then starts to kiss the back of her neck. Crying, Donna turns around and kisses Owen, but she quickly pulls away, telling him that she can't do this. "I'm devoted to Eric," she sobs. "He may be gone, but I'm going to love him forever." Donna puts her head down on the pillow, sobbing and sighing.

Rick doesn't believe Brooke's story.

At Forrester, Brooke calls Rick to Eric's office so they can talk. When Rick arrives, Brooke tells him that she went to see Taylor today. Rick hopes it was a productive visit. Brooke says that she wants him to be happy, but she fears that a marriage to Taylor won't lead him there. Rick doesn't want to have this discussion again, but Brooke tells him that Taylor admitted that she's still in love with Ridge. "You're Taylor's second choice," she informs him. Stunned, Rick blasts his mother for saying something so ridiculous and accuses her of baiting Taylor, but Brooke tells him that Taylor specifically told her to "give me back my husband." That doesn't mean anything, Rick scoffs, guessing that his mom again pushed Taylor's buttons until Taylor said something the didn't mean in the heat of the moment. He refuses to believe that Taylor doesn't love him anymore. "Why do you constantly keep stirring things up with people?" he asks, reminding her that he's too old to have her meddling in his life. Brooke informs him that Taylor also called Ridge the love of her life, but Rick doesn't believe her. Brooke assures him that she's dead serious and tells him to ask Taylor himself if he doesn't believe it.

Brooke assures Rick that her relationship with Ridge is solid.

Rick tells his mother that Taylor is not IN LOVE with Ridge. She may still have feelings for Ridge, just as Brooke does for Nick and Eric, but that's all it is. Brooke insists that it goes deeper than that, but Rick thinks she's making things seem worse than they are in the hope that he'll call off the wedding. Brooke assures him that this isn't a game for her. She truly wants to spare him the heartache of being used, so she can't just ignore what Taylor said to her. Rick says she should ignore it, because he is. He agrees that Brooke should be concerned if Taylor has unrequited feelings for Ridge, but that concern should be for Ridge and not for him. Brooke asks him not to make this about Ridge, but Rick thinks she should be keeping an eye on Ridge if Taylor is secretly in love with Ridge. Brooke assures him that she and Ridge are happy and secure and insists that she's not trying to make Rick insecure, but Rick doesn't believe her given that Taylor and Ridge have been over for years. Brooke says she thought that, too, but then Taylor said... Rick tells her to stop, but Brooke tells him that she doesn't want to see him settle for a marriage that is less than what he deserves. She assures him again that she and Ridge are completely committed and happy, so she's confident that nobody or nothing will interfere with her and Ridge's happiness.

Taylor admits how she feels.

At the Bel Air mansion, Ridge asks Taylor if she still loves him. Taylor admits that she's a bit embarrassed after all the years they've been apart, but she's just now realizing that she still has feelings for him. Ridge wants to discuss this, but Taylor doesn't see anything to talk about. Ridge reminds her that she's not the only one with feelings, pointing out that he never stopped caring about her since they raised three kids together. Taylor tells him that there's caring and there's CARING... and in this case, the kind of caring she's talking about comes from his being the love of her life. Ridge tells her that she was the love of his life, too. Taylor recalls how she fought so hard to come back to him and their children, only to have it all fall apart thanks to Brooke. Ridge reminds her that he had a son with Brooke and he was just trying to do the right thing (although I seem to remember it having more to do with his thinking he didn't really know Taylor after finding out about her sleeping with James at Big Bear). Taylor notes that he still hasn't married Brooke and inquires why he hasn't. Ridge says that there has been a lot going on between him and Brooke, but Taylor still finds it odd that he hasn't gotten with Brooke if they are so meant to be together. Ridge asks for her opinion about that, so Taylor surmises that it's because of the intense history between Brooke and Nick. Ridge says that he and Brooke have discussed that, but Taylor doesn't think he should have to discuss something like that with the woman he wants to marry and wonders if something is holding Brooke back.

Ridge shares Taylor's fond memories of their marriage.

Ridge asks Taylor if there's something holding her back, pointing out that she's not exactly rushing to the altar either. He bets that her upcoming wedding was Rick's idea, not hers. Taylor asks if he knows how painful it was for her to give him him up once he convinced her that Brooke was the woman who could make him happy. "Are you happier without me? Or did I make a mistake giving you up?" she asks. Ridge says he can't compare the life they shared to the life he has with Brooke, because they're both special to him. Taylor asks what happened to them. As he starts to respond, Ridge calls her "Doc"; Taylor sighs that hearing him call her that sends chills down her spine. She sighs that she always thought they had the perfect family life when they were married, and she just somehow knew she would never have that kind of bond with anybody again. Ridge says that he thinks about it fondly, too.