Thursday, January 22, 2009, Episode #5485

Steffy tells Rick that she just wants one perfect normal day.

A doubtful Steffy asks Rick how they can ever not have to worry about her dad. She thinks it's impossible. Rick tells her that nothing's impossible and asks her to believe in him. Steffy assures him that she believes him, but she just wants to have one perfect normal day where the two of them can be a regular couple without having to sneak around. But that can never happen, she sighs, and that's the hang-up. She fears that sometimes, love just isn't enough, and she thinks the two of them are smart enough to know that fantasies don't always come true. Rick refuses to believe that. He won't let circumstances in his life control him. That's not who he is, and it's not the guy she fell in love with. He thinks there's a solution to every problem if you just look for it.

Rick tells Steffy he has a plan.

Steffy asks what kind of solution he has in mind for their situation. "Let's just say that I am a man who can make things happen," Rick boasts. Intrigued, Steffy calls him her hero. Rick explains that he has a plan that's going to change everything. Steffy asks what he means. Rick promises that when all is said and done, she'll know how much he loves her and how he'd do anything and everything for them. "We will be together," he vows, asking if she believes him. Steffy giggles that she does. Rick is glad to hear that and they kiss.

Stephanie and Brooke discuss the new collection.

At Forrester, Eric tells Stephanie, Brooke, Thorne and Felicia that keeping the new collection under wraps was a good idea. Felicia snarks that they should give Donna a gold star for the idea. Brooke thinks they should contact the press before Jackie M eats up all the coverage with her preview today. Eric asks if anyone has heard anything about Jackie's show. Felicia snipes that they should ask Katie, who probably has a front row seat. Brooke points out that her sister is just supporting Nick, but Thorne balks at the idea of their PR rep supporting the competition. Brooke defends her sister, explaining that Katie fears that Clarke's first original line in ages will be a disaster. Eric says that they've all heard the rumors, and he fears Katie is marrying into a family on the verge of financial collapse. Still, he doesn't think anything at Jackie M will have an impact on them. The others agree. Eric calls for the next model to come in; when he sees the design, he brags that there's absolutely no comparison between their work and Clarke's. The others all concur.

Jackie, Clarke and Nick face off with Katie.

At Jackie M, Katie stares in shock as the Forrester designs take the runway. As Jarrett records notes about Jackie M's triumph, a stunned Katie goes to find Nick. She finds him with Jackie backstage and confronts them about using Eric's designs for their showing. Nick grabs Katie and ushers her into a nearby office. "You stole them," she accuses. Jackie comes in and says they didn't steal anything. Nick tells his mother to get back to the show, but Katie informs them that she has seen Eric's collection, and now the rest of the world has, too, thanks to Jackie and Clarke. Clarke comes in and asks if there's a problem. Katie scoffs that Sally would have been proud of him. When Jackie tries to table the discussion, Katie looks to Nick and asks if he knew about this. Nick ushers his mother and Clarke out so he can have a minute alone with Katie.

Katie scolds Nick for what he did.

Once they're alone, Katie asks Nick how he could steal those designs. Nick says that he didn't steal them and explains how he received the designs in an anonymous email from someone who obviously had access. Katie is horrified that someone inside Forrester wants to destroy the company. Nick asks if they can discuss this later, but Katie doesn't want to discuss it at all. She just wants him to go out and admit what he did. Nick says he just accepted a gift that was marked "to keep you afloat," which made the sender's intent clear. Katie points out that he's helping his benefactor destroy Forrester. Nick tells her that he thought she sent the designs, but then he talked to her and realized that she didn't. Katie points out that the Forresters will think she did it, too, at a time when the company is on the verge of civil war between Stephanie's family and hers. "I did what I had to do," Nick states, reminding Katie that she was there when the banker came to their home. He can't risk losing everything. Katie asks why they don't just rob a bank or a liquor store if they want to be thieves. Nick says he's not a thief, but Katie doesn't know what he is anymore. What she does know, however, is that his use of Forrester designs was wrong; not only won't it save Jackie M, but it could tear Forrester Creations apart!

Backstage, Jackie and Clarke revel as they listen to the cheers and applause from the crowd. "We're back!" Clarke beams. "But for how long?" Jackie wonders. Jackie then gets the showstopper - the same design the model wore in Eric's office earlier - and gives it to one of the models to put on. As the model gets ready, Jackie and Clarke pray that Nick got through to Katie.

Thorne and Felicia wonder about the theft of their designs.

Unfortunately, Katie is back in the showroom, on the phone with Brooke and asking for Eric. Brooke tells her that she's with Eric and puts her on the speakerphone so everyone can hear. "Our collection has been hijacked. All your designs just debuted on the Jackie M. runway," Katie excitedly tells Eric, who says that he'll be right there and rushes out. Brooke wonders if they should have stopped Eric, since she can't believe Nick would let Jackie steal their designs. It couldn't be an accident, Stephanie states. Thorne bets that Nick was in on it, and Felicia wonders if Katie was involved, too. Brooke insists that no one in her family had anyone to do with this, but Stephanie finds that hard to believe and asks Thorne if anyone could have hacked into the database where the encrypted designs were stored. Thorne asks if she's blaming him. Stephanie says that she's blaming Jackie, who she suspects had help from someone from the inside. She thinks it's possible with all the outsiders Eric has to hire these days. Brooke points out that it could be someone in the room. Felicia asks Brooke if she's accusing herself. Brooke points out that Stephanie doesn't seem shocked. Stephanie admits that she's not, since she saw Jackie twice this week and realized how desperate Ms. M. seemed given the state of her company.

Jarrett praises the Jackie M collection.

Eric arrives at Jackie M as the fashion show ends. As Jackie, Clarke and the models take to the runway for their bows, Eric fumes at the sight of his whole collection on the runway. Jackie and Clarke then go backstage to talk with the press, and they immediately start the champagne flowing. Jarrett gushes with lavish praise for the astounding collection and for Jackie and Clarke for bringing it together. Clarke modestly says he's just a visionary. Jackie raves that you could see that Clarke was influenced by his former employer Eric. "I think you can see a bit of Eric in every one of those designs," Clarke chuckles. Jarrett says this more than just a mere homage; in fact, had this collection come from Forrester, he'd say it was Eric's best work ever. Clarke suggests they step off to the side to talk some more. While Jackie thanks all the models for their effort, Nick gets a text message from "Stormy Seas" that says, "Meet me in your office. It's time to pay the piper."

Eric confronts Jackie.

Eric finds Jackie backstage and accuses her of stealing his designs. Jackie denies the charge, but Eric tells her to stop lying and admit that she stole the collection that he and Ridge worked on for months. Jackie asks him to keep his voice down, but Eric wants every reporter here to know what she did. Jackie suggests he consult a lawyer first about slander. Eric counters that she should think about charges of industrial espionage against her. Jackie steps into one of the nearby offices. Eric follows and asks how she got the designs, which were encrypted with the patterns kept under lock and key. He wonders if she sneaked into Forrester in disguise like Sally used to. Jackie laughs at the notion, assuring Eric that no one from her company set foot in his offices. She insists that Clarke designed her line, but Eric argues that Clarke never designed anything that elegant in his whole career. He tells Jackie that he never thought she would stoop to Sally's level when she bought Spectra and asks why she didn't come to him for help. They may be competitors, but they're also friends - or at least he thought they were. Jackie reminds him that he was susceptible to her charms before he became "Mr. Honey Bear." Eric asks if this is about his relationship with Donna, but she says it's about business and insists that she stole nothing. "You did, and I'm going to prove it," Eric vows.