Friday, January 16, 2009, Episode #5482

Ridge begs Steffy to stay away from Rick.

Trying to stop Steffy, Ridge runs into the Forrester parking lot and in front of Rick's car, but Rick slams on the brakes just in time to avoid hitting Ridge. Ridge throws the car door open and orders "Phoebe" to get out of the car. Confused that her dad called her by her late sister's name, Steffy calls out to him. Ridge corrects himself and tells Steffy to get out of the car. Steffy says that they were just going to pick up a shipment, but Ridge says that he doesn't want her in the car with Rick. Having witnessed what happened from the Sky Lounge, Brooke and Stephanie rush over to find out what happened. Ridge insists he's OK and tells everyone to chill out, but Stephanie says that he's the one who has to relax. Ridge assures her that he's fine and explains that he got concerned when he heard Steffy was in the car with Rick, since it reminded him of how Phoebe was in Rick's car before her death. Steffy assures him that she's fine, but Ridge says he couldn't take a chance. Brooke offers to get someone else to pick up the order. As Ridge apologizes for causing a scene, Stephanie and Steffy usher him back to his office. Steffy assures her dad that he doesn't have to worry about her, but Ridge can't help it after what happened to Phoebe. Stephanie advises Steffy to just stay away from Rick, because he's trouble. Ridge tells Steffy that he can't bear to lose her, too, and begs her to stay away from Rick.

Rick ignores Stephanie's warning.

Rick heads for his office and Brooke follows. Rick asks his mom if she believes what just happened. Brooke defends Ridge's reaction and points out that it will be some time before Ridge is comfortable with Steffy in any car, especially Rick's. Rick fears that Stephanie will have a field day with this. After Brooke leaves, Rick is thinking about the day's events when Stephanie pops in to see him. Stephanie warns him to stay away from Phoebe, but Rick is tired of her warnings and points out that he's still running the company despite her protests. "Not for long," Stephanie admonishes. Rick tells her to "bring it on" and show him what she's got, but Stephanie brags that she won't have to do anything, since he'll do himself in. She advises him to heed her warnings to stay away from Steffy, since losing his precious little office will be the least of his worries if he doesn't.

Brooke tries to reassure Ridge.

Brooke checks on Ridge and tells him that she spoke to Rick. Ridge says that he doesn't want to hear her son's excuses, but Brooke tells him that she understands how he feels and assures him that Rick won't go near Steffy. "He damned well better not," Ridge fumes. Brooke reminds him of his father's request to put aside their differences for the good of the company, but Ridge thinks the situation with Rick is different. He doesn't ever want to see Steffy and Rick near each other ever again, because he's not sure what he'll do if he does.

Steffy tells Rick that they have to end things between them.

Steffy goes to see Rick, who asks how her dad is. Steffy tearfully tells him that she's never seen her father this way. "I can't do this. It would just kill my dad if he knew about us," she sobs. "We have to end it." Rick tells her to look at him and promises that everything will be OK, but Steffy weeps that she can't do this to her dad. Rick tells her that he feels for her father, but he doesn't think their not seeing each other will take away the pain or bring Phoebe back. He professes that he can't stop loving her, since all they have now is each other. As Rick cups her face in his hand, Steffy gives in and kisses him.

Katie gets summoned by Nick.

At the former offices of Spectra Fashions, Jackie and Nick discuss the Forrester designs that were emailed to them and wonder if Katie might have sent them. Katie drops by and notices the changes in the office. As she closes Nick's laptop, Jackie explains to Katie that she merged her boutiques and the design house into one company, Jackie M Designs. Jackie then scoots off to give Nick and his fiancee a chance to talk. Katie asks Nick why he wanted to see her and asks if she should lock the door, but Nick tells her that they can wait until later for that, since they have some things to talk about first. He then explains that merging his mother's two businesses was just a band-aid and isn't enough to keep them solvent, so he was hoping that she might have some ideas. Katie affirms her promise to do anything to help, but she admits that she hasn't given it much thought since she's been busy promoting Forrester's new line. Nick asks how that's going. She says that the line is beautiful, although she doesn't want to brag. Nick says that bragging is fine, since she's a loyal employee, and he hopes the Forresters appreciate that. That said, he sends her on her way back to work. Katie reminds him that he asked her over here for help, but he tells her that seeing her is enough and bids her goodbye.

Thorne laments his place in the company.

At Forrester, Thorne brings the designs for the new collection back to Eric after scanning them and getting copies to everyone who needs them. When Thorne turns to leave right after dropping the designs off, Eric asks if he's still upset. Thorne doesn't think it matters, since he feels like Eric won't do anything about it anyway. Eric asks Thorne if he wants him to fire Rick like Stephanie does. Thorne suggests that he and Rick trade jobs, but Eric says that's not possible. Thorne thinks anything is possible, since Eric owns the company. Eric assures Thorne that he's vital to the company. "Just not as vital as Rick," Thorne counters. Eric explains that he needs them all to pull together as a team, but Thorne feels like he's just the water-boy. With all the changes around here, he doesn't even feel like he's on the same team that earned them their reputation. Eric assures him that they'll be fine, but Thorne isn't so sure and leaves. He goes to his office, where thoughts of Rick running the company while he does the grunt work consume him. "I should have been born a Logan," he laments.

Eric has some questions for Katie.

Meanwhile, Eric meets with Katie to talk about Jackie's financial woes. He doubts Jackie's business will survive, but Katie reminds him that Nick is a fighter. Her fiance is also their direct competitor, Eric reminds her. Katie asks if there is a message here. Eric knows he has said this before, but he can't stress how important it is to keep the new collection confidential, since it's vital to their business. Katie says she understands, but when she returns to her office, she wonders why Eric had to give her that reminder.

Stephanie complains about Rick.

Stephanie goes to see Eric to complain about Rick being with Steffy. Eric insists that Rick and Steffy were just running an errand for the company, but Stephanie contends that Rick's allowing Steffy to be in his car shows his disregard for the rules they laid down. Eric says that he's sorry Ridge is upset, but Stephanie thinks that's just the kind of brush-off she's come to expect from him when he's in a second marriage with a younger family. She feels like he's forgotten who made this company with him and warns that his continuing to coddle Rick will only lead to disaster for this company.

Jackie and Nick play detective.

Jackie returns to her office and asks Nick how his talk with Katie went. Nick tells her that Katie didn't send the stolen designs. Jackie is glad, since that means Katie won't be impacted by their using the designs to save the company. Nick thinks this reeks of a trap, so he doesn't think they should move on this until they know who sent the designs. Jackie has a way to solve that mystery and whips out the press kit from the Forrester surf line, which includes photos of all the Forrester staff. She's sure one of these people must be the angel who wants to save them. She starts out with Owen, the newcomer who clashed with almost the entire Forrester clan. Then there's Felicia, the hotheaded daughter who resents how the Logans have taken over her company. Donna claims to be happy with Eric, but she was hot and heavy with Owen for a time and might be working with him. Thorne is the forgotten son, second in line to Ridge and now third to Rick. Rick and Steffy are both young, ambitious and tragically flawed because (as far as Jackie and Nick know) they hate each other. And then there's Katie; Nick repeats that it's not possible, but Jackie points out that Katie has a clear motive as Nick's fiancee. Ridge and Brooke just got married and may want the company for themselves. Last but not least, there is the family matriarch herself, Stephanie, who feels like she and her children have been rejected by Eric. One of those people must be their savior, Jackie believes. But which one?