Friday, February 06, 2009, Episode #5496

Madame X gets some support from Jackie.

At Jackie M, Bridget sighs upon learning that Nick saw through her "Madame X" disguise. As Nick compliments "Madame Exy" on her "rockin' body," Jackie comes in and scolds her son for that inappropriate remark, but Bridget reveals that Nick knows who she is. Nick questions whether the designs he saw are really Bridget's. Bridget assures him that those are her designs. Jackie praises Bridget as their salvation and leaves to give Bridget time to tell Nick about her new career. Once Jackie is gone, Bridget explains to her ex that she clearly has a knack for design in her blood, but she wants to pursue her dream without relying on her family or the Forrester name, so she took a leave of absence from the hospital to take the job there at Jackie M. Nick understands that she wants to pursue her dream, but he finds it odd that she'd want to work with him at her family's competitor. Bridget makes it clear that her decision is strictly business and has nothing to do with him. She has no interest in being around him and only accepted the job because Jackie assured her that he keeps his distance from the design portion of the company. She thinks they won't have any problems if they just keep their distance from each other.

Clarke learns who Madame X really is.

Outside the office, Jackie eavesdrops on Nick and Bridget's talk. Clarke comes off the elevator eager to meet their new designer. Jackie reveals to him that their mystery designer is actually none other than Bridget Forrester. Clarke refuses to answer to an inexperienced designer, even if her name is Forrester, and wants to talk to Nick, but Jackie warns him to stay put and keep quiet. Clarke admits that he's surprised that Bridget and Nick can even be in the same room together given how their marriage ended. Jackie puts the blame for that on that "awful Katie Logan." She sighs that Bridget forgave Katie, and she just hopes that Bridget can forgive Nick as well.

Nick asks Bridget if she can work with him.

Nick tells Bridget that the company almost went down the tubes because he kept his distance, and he can't let that happen again. Bridget wonders if it's a good idea to work here after all; she thinks she must have been dreaming if she thought she could work for a company co-owned by her ex-husband. Nick observes that being a designer must mean a lot to her if she walked away from her career as a doctor, and he'd hate to think that she'd walk away from her dream because of him. But at the same time, he has to look out for his mother, and that means he has to be hands-on at Jackie M. So that leaves Bridget with a choice to make; he asks if she can be a part of this company given their past. Bridget supposes that they won't be working together, since she doesn't think it's a good idea for her to work closely with him. Jackie barges in and points out that it's her name on the door and her picture on the wall, so she'll be the one to make the decision. She declares that Bridget is staying right here and orders Nick and Bridget to find a way to work together.

Taylor tries to get through to Steffy.

At Taylor's house, Steffy insists that she loves Rick and doesn't want to give him up. Taylor tries to convince her daughter that Rick is using her, but Steffy won't believe that. Since Steffy won't listen to her, Taylor suggests that perhaps someone else can make her daughter see reason. The front door opens and Stephanie comes in with Taylor's mentor and friend Dr. James Warwick. Taylor thanks James for coming and for being there 24/7 for her when she needed him. She informs him that she has another problem brewing and needs his help getting Steffy to see the light. James tells her that Stephanie already filled him in about it. Steffy defensively scoffs that James is there as part of an intervention, but James tells her that they're not ganging up on her. He knows the loss of her twin sister was an enormous blow to her, but he doesn't understand how she can move on with the man who drove the car in the event that led to her sister's death. Steffy insists that something good came out of Phoebe's tragic death. James asks her to take a good look at the women Rick has been involved with, since he thinks that will show her how Rick is without a doubt using her in the most insidious way. Steffy insists that Rick is not a manipulative monster who is using her. Stephanie asks her to think real hard about that, since she thinks it's clear that Rick is just using her to get back at Ridge. "That's not what our relationship is about," Steffy retorts. Taylor asserts that what Steffy has with Rick is NOT a relationship.

James and Stephanie ask Steffy to think carefully about her choice.

James tells Steffy that her father will never accept her being involved with the man who drove the car that killed Phoebe and asks her if she can choose to love a man who her father will hate forever. Steffy thinks it's unfair to have to choose between her dad and Rick, but James, Taylor and Stephanie all tell her that she has no choice, since Ridge will never accept her being with Rick. James points out to Steffy that she's only been involved with Rick for a few months at most, and before that, Rick was involved with first her sister and then later with her mother. Meanwhile, Ridge was there for her all her life. He urges Steffy to balance those two sides of the equation and make the choice that makes the most sense to her. Steffy argues that love isn't about logic or making sense. James warns Steffy that choosing Rick will mean losing her father and part of her family, and that's a heavy price to pay. He predicts that she'll come to resent Rick in time for making her give up her family and begs her to think carefully about the decision she's about to make. Steffy says that she'd never intentionally hurt her father, but James cautions that she will hurt Ridge by staying with Rick. Steffy starts to sob uncontrollably at the thought of hurting her father and falls into her mother's arms. Taylor hugs Steffy and assures her that she loves her.

Brooke tells Beth about the wedding.

Rick drops by to talk to his mother, who is giving her mom the scoop on her recent wedding. Brooke asks Rick if he wants to share his news with her and Beth, but Rick says it's kind of private, so he'll wait for her to finish. Brooke shows Beth some photos that Ridge had taken by someone who was secretly hiding up on the cliffs (even though he specifically told Brooke that there were no photographers around). Beth thinks the wedding looked spectacular. Brooke agrees that it was the perfect wedding. Rick apologizes for interrupting the mother/daughter moment, but Beth says she has to go pick up Hope and R.J. and leaves. Finally alone with his mom, Rick tells her that he's glad to see her so happy. Even though he and Ridge don't like each other very much, he sees how happy Ridge has made her. Brooke suspects that he didn't come here to talk about her marriage and asks what brought him by. Rick nervously tells her that she's not the only one in love, since he found someone and couldn't be happier. Brooke is thrilled that her son has fallen head over heels in love and gives him a hug. She thinks this is wonderful news given everything he's been through lately and asks if she knows the lucky lady in his life. Rick says that she does know the young woman who has brought so much joy and love to his life in the short time that they've gotten to know each other. "So who is it?" a curious Brooke asks. Rick keeps singing his beloved's praises, but Brooke tells him to stop holding out on her and spill the young lady's name. "Her name is Stephanie Forrester," Rick reveals.

Rick tells his mother what he did.

Brooke is horrified that her son is saying that he's in love with Ridge's daughter! She can't believe he would do something like this to her. Rick insists that he and Steffy are in love. Brooke fumes that she supported him when the rest of the family condemned him and asks if he did this to break her and Ridge up. Rick swears that he's not trying to break her and Ridge up, but Brooke isn't sure she can believe him. She then recalls how she defended him when Stephanie and Ridge accused him of stealing their designs and begs him to please tell her that she was right about that. Rick tells her that she was wrong, because he was the one who gave their designs to Nick. He admits that in hindsight, it was a disgusting thing to do, but he did it so he and Steffy could have a future away from the disapproval of their families. Brooke can't believe that he would betray his father and the company that way, especially after everything Eric did for him - and he's saying that he did it for Steffy?! "I don't even know what to think, except that you're completely out of your mind," she states, telling him that she won't allow this relationship to happen. Rick admits that what he did was screwed up, but Eric forgave him and told him to move on. Brooke asks if Eric knows about Steffy; Rick says that his dad doesn't know, but Taylor and Stephanie do and are in fact trying to "deprogram" Steffy as they speak. Brooke doesn't blame them one bit, since she doesn't understand either how he could go from being in love with Phoebe to Taylor and now to Steffy.