Sorry, that appears to be the name given to the baby. They better hope he dont grow up to be an skinny, pale, flighty, gay ballet dancer. That could be awkward.

What a stupid name. You just know he's going to grow up to be a skinhead or a punk with a purple mohawk and multiple tattoos and body piercings. Ick!! I really thought Spike might just be a temporary name or a nickname. The show really needs to hire a writer who can come up with better names. They don't seem to be putting much effort into it. Probably the next person to come to Pine Valley will be named John Doe or Guy Nextdoor. :roll:

I'm going to try to start posting recaps for All My Childen in case anyone misses an episode. I don't have time to write them myself so I'll be "borrowing" them from another site (http://allmychildren.about.com/).

Monday, September 18, 2006 A SECOND CHANCE, FOR ALL OF US… “I’ll be representing Jonathan,” Jack declares. Ryan asks if this is a joke? Jack says no, it’s no joke. He’s taking the case, and wants to make sure they get justice for what Terry McDermott did. Ryan laughs, and Derek orders, “Everybody in my office, now.” Kendall looks at her wedding ring before looking across the squad room at Dixie. Derek thinks this day just keeps getting more interesting. Ryan asks if he’d give them a minute, and Derek leaves the office. Ryan asks Jack what kind of stunt is this? Jack insists it’s no stunt. Jonathan needs a good lawyer, “Here I am.” Ryan says he’s going to give him ten seconds to explain what he’s doing there, and he’d better not be wasting their time. Kendall sighs as she tells Dixie it’s never enough, is it? She takes until there’s nothing left. Did she push Zach into going after Tad and beating up the only man who can tank their alibi? Dixie insists she didn’t know anything about it, not that she’d expect her to believe her. Kendall says the way she does that, all high and mighty… She sucks lives dry in her sleep and then says she’s so sorry, she didn’t mean to. But here she is, she never stops, and never goes away, and now her marriage is over. Dixie insists that’s Kendall’s fault, not hers! Kendall shrugs she doesn’t have a shot with her husband, anyway; she won’t see the outside of a prison until she’s a miserable, rotting old hag. Dixie calls her a hypocrite. She acts like she and Zach are some big love story, but it’s such a joke! The minute he gets in some sort of trouble, she’s all up in his face, “Did you do it? Did you do it?” Why? He told her over and over he’s innocent, he didn’t do it, but that’s not enough for her, is it? She’s getting the feeling nothing is ever good enough for her! Zach is in prison now—he doesn’t need to be bowing and scraping to her insecurities! Kendall insists she has the right to know the truth. Dixie thinks the truth is that she’s a selfish bitch, and doesn’t deserve a man like him. Derek comes up and tells them to take it down a notch. Dixie starts to go see Zach, and Derek suggests Kendall use her anger for something good. Give him the real story about Zach and Dixie—she knows their alibi’s bull! If she helps him, they’ve got this thing in the can. Dixie asks Kendall why she doesn’t go ahead? This is her chance for payback, to get rid of her and Zach for good. Go ahead, tell Derek what he wants to hear! Jack says if it hadn’t been for Jonathan… He saved Lily. Jonathan says he hasn’t been able to find out, “Jack, he didn’t… I mean, she wasn’t…” Jack says no, he got there in time. Lily was not raped. He watches as Jonathan cries tears of relief. Jonathan composes himself and asks, “You want to help me?” Jack knows he has no reason to believe him, and Ryan says to get to the point. Jack tells them he made a lot of mistakes, but one thing he knows is the law. His brother needs a damn good attorney, “That would be me.” He tells Jonathan he was wrong about him and Lily, about so many things. The more she fell in love with him, the more he hated him. The more she reached out to him, the more he held onto her, because he looked at him and all he saw was a Lavery, and the Lavery men do have a history of hurting the women in his family. Ryan was right. He never got over what his brother Braden did to his sister, Kit. He just held onto that anger, turned it against Ryan and Jonathan. It was his anger that hurt Lily, Jonathan and a lot of people. He can’t undo the damage he’s done, but he can help if he’ll let him. Ryan and Jonathan exchange glances before Ryan stands and tells Jack they don’t need his help. Jack nods. Kendall tells Derek to find someone else, she’s out of it. She has a son to raise, a company to run, a life to get back together. If he wants to slam Zach and Dixie into the ground, go for it, but not with her. Derek argues that Slater's as bad as they come. Whether he cheated on her or not, he's let her down how many times? “And Dixie? There's no way in the world you should keep your mouth shut to protect her.” Kendall notes he’s good; he makes it really hard to say no. Derek goes on that Zach and Dixie’s alibi will unravel with her or without her, but it was an alibi she was complicit in, which leaves her open to aiding and abetting, accessory after the fact. “You want to be in lockdown when Spike takes his first steps?” Kendall calls that very impressive, but he can good cop/bad cop all he wants, her answer is still the same. Derek asks why take the risk? She can protect herself and get a little payback at the same time. Kendall repeats he can fight down and dirty with someone else. She’s a mom now. Her life is about her son, her future, and nothing but good things, “I won't be one of those people who chokes on their own hate.” Ryan reminds Jack he’s wanted to bury Jonathan since Day One, and now he wants them to believe that he’s just going to let all that go? Jack wants them to believe that he will fight for him with everything he has. Ryan says no, he’s going to mess up his case, and then Jonathan will get a life sentence, and then he’ll get everything he’s always wanted. Jack understands his being suspicious, but wants a chance to prove he’s wrong. As Ryan insists he can’t gamble his brother’s life on his word, Jonathan says he wants to talk to Jack alone. Ryan exclaims he can’t seriously be considering his offer, but agrees he’ll be right outside. He leaves the office, and Jonathan tells Jack he’s slammed him, harassed him, threatened him. No matter how hard he tried, no matter what he did to prove to him that he had changed, he refused to believe or to see what he and Lily had. He made both of their lives miserable and broke them up for good. Now that it’s all over, it's completely finished, is he telling him that he gets it? Jack nods, and Jonathan asks what he wants him to do here, “You want me to trust you so that, what? So that you can unload your guilt? I let you help me, and what? Huh? You get a free pass to redemption?’ Jack knows "I'm sorry" isn't nearly enough, but he is, for everything. He turns to go, but Jonathan tells him to wait, “I begged you. I begged you for a second chance so I could show you that I was the man I was claiming to be. I begged you!” Jack nods, he knows he doesn’t even have the right to ask, but Jonathan thinks maybe this is what they all need, a second chance, “For all of us.” Kendall sees Ryan clutch his wound and says he looks like hell. He asks if that’s any way to talk to the father of her child? He’s fine. Kendall calls that great; he looks fabulous for someone who's about to bleed to death all over the floor. He needs to go home now, no back talk! Ryan refuses to go anywhere right now, and she asks if Jonathan’s going to be all right? Ryan looks toward Derek’s office and says he’ll know that when he gets out of there. How about her? Is she going to be all right? Kendall nods, she’s over the flippin' moon, “I'm good. My husband could be in prison forever, and the slut who wants him just went to make it all better.” SUCH A BEAUTIFUL GIRL… Lily stares straight ahead as she lies in her hospital bed, expressionless and unmoving. Julia instructs another nurse that Lily is extremely sensitive to tactile stimulation. There are to be minimal invasive procedures, and she needs a quiet, controlled environment, very few visitors. As Julia explains Dr. Martin has ordered IV fluids for calorie replacement, Lily goes inside her head to a very bright place where she works a complicated math problem. As Julia’s voice echoes in her head, she covers her ears and goes through a door. Julia concludes that she’ll be fully reevaluated tomorrow, and the other nurse sighs she’s such a beautiful girl. Julia agrees, “Yes, she is.” ONLY A MATTER OF TIME… Zach sits on the floor of his cell, sadly looking at his ring finger, the wedding band now gone. When Dixie comes in and asks if he’s okay, Zach says she shouldn't be here. Dixie agrees, neither should he. Zach sighs it’s the same old story, huh? Derek's going to throw her in jail for yawning in public, and Tad's going to testify that he saw her do it. Dixie sighs, “My god. What happened to all of our friends? I feel like we're surrounded by wolves.” Zach says they’re not wolves, they’re rats, gnawing at their heels, desperate and vicious, anything to get on this little witch-hunt bandwagon, anything to hide their own mistakes and their stupidity, tearing apart families, tearing apart lives, all in the name of justice. He shouts, “Justice! Hey, Derek! Can you hear me? I can hear you—I can hear your music!” When Dixie suggests maybe he shouldn’t do this, Zach turns and asks what she wants? Why is she here? Dixie stammers she’s just here to make sure he’s okay, but Zach says she can’t fix this. Dixie urges him not to give up, but Zach insists it’s over, “The good guys won.” Dixie begs him to calm down, but Zach says right or wrong, it makes no difference, because their sin against this town, their crime against this town, is that they didn't play by their rules, and they will hang them for it. When Dixie says it’s not over, Zach tells her it is over because they made it happen. They exposed Madden. They went after him and after his insanity. If they hadn't, he'd still be out there hurting kids, hurting mothers. They did it, and this is their prize, their reward. He tells her to look around, it’s nice. Got a place to sit, to sleep, and food. He slams a tray across the cell and Dixie insists he really has to calm down. Zach shouts he asked her to leave—he asked her not to be here! Dixie’s sorry, but she is not running. Zach becomes more agitated as he says if she’s not running, she’s going to end up here. Dixie argues even if she wanted to leave, she couldn't. Does he understand that they're watching her, 24 hours a day now? There's nothing she can do. Zach furiously throws things across the cell and she cries to please stop! Zach shouts, “Hey, Derek! Huh, are you watching me? Watch it now! Come down here, and watch your lady dance! Come on!”. Derek comes in with Kendall and Ryan and asks Zach what the hell’s going on? Is he going nuts? Zach says he’s just in time for the party as he bangs a chair against the bars and challenges Derek to come in the cell and teach him a lesson one on one, “Come on.” Derek orders him to step back, ease up or he’ll be sorry, and Zach asks what more he can do to him? Kendall turns to Dixie and demands, “What did you do to him? What did you say?” Zach points to Kendall as he tells everyone to keep it down, that’s his wife, “Ex-wife. What? That's my wife. Still my wife, and the ever-handsome Lavery. What's going on here? Hmm? What happened? Doing this behind my back? Be a man. Come on, come in here. Come on, tell me your story.” He slams the chair against the bars again and shouts, “Tell me your story!” Derek says he’s not going to warn him again… Zach grabs at the guard through the bars and shouts at Derek, “Let's go, let's go, you and me!” When the officer takes Zach down with a stun gun, Derek orders, “Stay back, Kendall.” She cries, “No! No! No! Zach…Zach! What did you do to him?” Derek gives orders to restrain him before he comes to, and holds Kendall back as she shouts to let go of her! Zach comes to with a start; he finds himself chained to a pole, with Kendall bending down and saying his head is bleeding. He looks around at the others before telling her to get off her knees, “God can't hear you now. But Lavery can. He's right over here. You believe in him.” He tells Derek to get these people out of his house, “You won, Ryan.” When Ryan says there are no winners, Zach asks, “No? Lady's on your arm. It's only a matter of time before she's back in your bed. And I never saw it coming. Never trust a guy who's in love with your wife. Isn't that right, Kendall?” Kendall turns to Ryan, “Get me out of here now.” They leave, and Dixie looks sadly at Zach. She sighs as she leaves, stopping on the other side of the bars to kneel and touch Zach’s shoulder. He touches her hand, resting his cheek on it for just a moment. NO KID DESERVES TO DIE FOR BEING DUMB… The teens seem dazed as they sit at the hospital with varied degrees of injuries. A nurse comforts a blanket-wrapped Sydney, who cries with both pain and the enormity of what’s happened. Sean sits alone, a blank expression on his face. At the yacht club, a Coast Guard officer tells Adam there’s no word on his daughter yet. They’ve covered the breakwater, the immediate area, and there’s no sign. “Whatever it takes, whatever it costs, I want it done,” Adam insists. Krystal comforts her husband as the officer assures Adam they’re doing everything they can. At home, Babe reaches out to him as J.R. calls to ask if there’s any news on his sister. Colby slips in from the terrace and looks around the library. Still in her party dress and carrying her shoes, she’s dirty and disheveled, obviously shaken and bruised, but very much alive. J.R. learns they have nothing, and shouts, “How incompetent are you?” Babe tells him they’re doing everything they can, but J.R. angrily says Colby is one spoiled little twit! Colby listens as J.R. rages that she shows up here with a pack of cops on her tail, she drains his dad’s wallet for this stupid party, and now she’s putting him through this! Babe says what happened with the boat was an accident, but J.R. insists she’s one giant walking, whining accident, all about herself. It wasn’t enough that she stole the boat, she had to try to drive it! How stupid is she? Colby hides as Babe says she’s a kid! Didn’t he ever do anything crazy when he was her age? J.R. insists the last thing this family needs is more grief. It’s been nothing but “gimme, gimme, gimme” since she walked through this door, “If they find her alive, I’m going to kill her myself!” Babe insists she’s just trying to fit in, be a part of the family, and she’s had a really rough time. J.R. thinks that black convertible in the driveway would have made it a lot easier for her. Babe tells him to snark all he wants, but she knows he’s worried, and it’s okay that he’s upset. J.R. wants to go meet Adam and Krystal at the yacht club. He tells her to stay here, but Babe insists she’s coming with him. As they start to leave, Lt. Perry arrives on official business, and asks J.R. if there’s any word on his sister? J.R. says no, “Are we done?” Lt. Perry walks past him into the house and says he’s here about the boating accident. Does Sydney Harris live here? J.R. agrees she’s their housekeeper’s niece, but suggests he check the hospital. Lt. Perry agrees he’s been there. Half of Pine Valley’s brat pack is in the ER, some hurt pretty bad. His sister really ended her party with a bang! Babe asks where he gets off putting all this on Colby? Lt. Perry tells her preliminary reports say she ran that boat aground. J.R. protests he has no proof, he can’t be sure, but Lt. Perry exclaims he knows enough! She’s a Chandler—not a surprise! Did one of their ancestors defile an ancient tomb or something? It’s one disaster after another with his family! When J.R. exclaims his sister could be dead, Perry apologizes; no kid deserves to die for being dumb. He hopes she turns up, alive. He’ll come back later to interview the Harris girl. He offers some advice, “Lots of alcohol, lots of damage, lots of injuries—whole lot of charges for one little girl. You might want to lawyer up.” J.R. tells him to get out, but Lt. Perry goes on that all those mommies and daddies, their little darlings’ lives almost lost… By the time they work their way through the lawsuits, they might have to put this place on the market. Colby listens in dismay as Lt. Perry goes on that she’s already facing a hearing for a high-speed police chase, otherwise known as resisting arrest. If they find her guilty, on top of this demolition derby, she’s spend every birthday until her Sweet 21st behind bars, if she’s lucky, “And from what I’ve seen, she’s not lucky.” He leaves and J.R. & Babe go to the yacht club. Colby looks at Adam and Krystal’s wedding picture and sighs, “I love you, Daddy. I'm so sorry.” Hearing a door close, she rushes to hide. Sydney comes in with Sean; she clutches her arm in the sling and says this is unbelievable, so insane—it’s a nightmare! She’d tell him to pinch her to wake her up, but she hurts everywhere. At least she’s alive, but Colby could be dead. What about Sean? He’s the one who's all nautical. Why did he let her near the wheel? Sean shrugs she grabbed it, and Sydney asks what if she's dead? Colby listens as Sean retorts, “What if she is? Nothing we can do about it.” When Sydney thinks that’s so harsh, Sean tells her it’s called reality, “If Colby bit it, end of story.” Sydney exclaims he’s such a jerk! Sean shrugs it’s not like he wants Colby dead; he hopes they find her alive and ragging about how cold the water was. But if they don't, death is a part of life, “Deal with it.” One day, you're doing tequila body shots, the next, you're on a slab. This is Nature's way of saying "See ya." Sydney incredulously asks what kind of freak is he? How can he be so cold? Colby listens with surprise as Sean tells Sydney, “Look, not everybody has a magic baby to save her life.” Sydney asks how he can be so… And what the hell is a "magic baby"? Sean tells her she wouldn't get it, anyway. Sydney asks, “You and Colby hooked up, right?” Sean shrugs, “So what?” Colby cries as she flashes back to the night before, and Sydney demands, “So what? She could be dead and you don't even care.” Saying he’s got to go, Sean leaves on his crutches. Colby watches as Sydney goes upstairs in tears. Also in tears, she leans back against a wall and is stunned when the wall gives way and she finds herself in the tunnels. She pushes the wall passage shut and cries. GUESS YOU HAVE IT COVERED… As Babe and J.R. arrive at the yacht club, Adam is ordering that the size of the team be doubled, bring in a helicopter, some boats. Whatever it takes, he’ll pay for it. The officer says every available man, boat and chopper is on this. He’ll update them every hour. Krystal thanks him, and he moves away as helicopters hover overhead. J.R. walks away from Babe, after the Coast Guard officer, and Babe watches as Krystal comforts Adam, insisting they’ll find Colby alive; this is going to be another adventure for her blog. Adam sighs he promised Colby that he would always rescue her, and how he can't do anything. It’s his fault! He spoiled her, gave her everything she asked for. He tried so hard to make up for all those years they lost. Krystal insists the only thing he’s guilty of is loving Colby bigger and better and more than any father ever could. Adam can only think that the last time he saw her, he yelled at her and threatened her, and now she may be dead. He breaks down, and Krystal tells him that child is pure Chandler. There is no way in Hades a little sea water is going to keep her down, “She is going to be back home and sleeping in till noon before you know it.” Adam chuckles and thanks God for his wife; he doesn’t think he could make it without her. Babe watches as her mama agrees with Adam, the only way they’ll make it to the other side is together. As she stands alone, she looks over at J.R., who is ordering, “Ramp up the search, crank up the manpower, find my sister! Look, if you can't do it, I'll hire somebody that can!” Babe looks back at Adam and Krystal holding each other tightly. Babe picks up a Japanese lantern and sinks down on a step as J.R. tells Adam that guy is useless. They should hire their own team. Krystal urges him to just settle down; it doesn’t get much better than the Coast Guard. Adam says he wants to check the breakwater, see for himself. Krystal agrees, whatever he wants. J.R. comes up and tells Babe his dad wants to go up to the breakwater, see if there's any sign of Colby. He’s going to go with them. When Babe says she is, too, J.R. insists there’s no point. When she protests she wants to be with him, he tells her it’s bad enough what's going on. She doesn’t need to go through it. Babe declares she’s going to be going through it whether she’s with him or not, but J.R. repeats it's going to get bad. The rescue guy just told him that the operation shifts to recovery at noon. His dad doesn't even know yet. Babe gasps and hugs him as she says she’s so sorry! Tell her what she can do. J.R. replies, “Well, I don't need any baby-sitting. Dad's got Krystal. Why don't you go home? I'll call you if anything changes.” Babe kisses his cheek, “Guess you have it covered.” He nods and leaves her standing there alone. J.R. hugs Adam before moving to look out to sea. Adam follows, Krystal at his side. Sean returns to the yacht club, and looks out to sea. He knocks a fallen picture of Colby aside with a crutch and tries to hold back his tears. Babe goes to Fusion, still holding the paper lantern. She steps off the elevator, and sees Josh. When he turns to face her, she goes into his arms. TRY TO GET HER BACK… Lily stares into space as Amanda stands by her bedside and speaks to her, “Lily, it's Amanda. Lily? How you doing, girlfriend? You are going to be okay. We all know you're going to be just fine, and we are all here to help, especially Jonathan. He's still crazy in love with you, and he needs you. You know, he got rid of the bad man for good, so you are safe now. You can help him, Lily. You really can. Please come back—for Jonathan, please.” When Jonathan notes he put up bail really fast, Jack says Judge Williams is an old friend of his, “He owed me one. What's the sense having markers out there if you never call them in?” Jonathan says he appreciates it, but wishes they had waited for Ryan, “I feel weird with you putting up my bond.” Jack assures him his brother will get the bill, and says now that he’s out, there’s something he’d like him to do, “I’d like you to go see Lily.” Jonathan shakes his head as he says no, he doesn’t think that she’s ready… Jack tells him she’s totally unresponsive. She has gone so deep that nobody can get through to her, “Please go try to get her back. Try to get her back to us.” As Jack and Jonathan leave, Ryan and Kendall return to the squad room. Ryan touches her arm, and Kendall goes into his arms as she cries. As Amanda looks helplessly down at Lily, Jonathan comes in.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006 THE GLORY OF THE CHALLENGE… Josh assures Babe, “Anything you need, I'm here.” Tell him anything she wants, what she needs—anything. Babe moves away as she says she needs to get to work. Josh protests, don’t just… Babe insists their ads have to be ready to air by the end of next week. Josh agrees, “All right, I'll give it my best shot. I think we can come up with what you need. What do you say?” When he goes to another desk to get something, Babe picks up the paper lantern and looks at it thoughtfully. Simone comes in with Dani, saying there are times she’s glad she has to work because it's a challenge. You have to check your life crud at the door and get on with the day-to-day business of business because in actuality, no one really cares about your angsty personal issues—you have to get on with your life! She looks over at Babe and says, “I didn't mean you. I mean, you can hold on to your personal issues and all that. I mean, lord, you have a whole hell of a lot to park at the door. I mean, with J.R.'s sister missing and possibly even…” Dani tries to get her back on track—what about work? Simone goes on, “Well, you know, Josh, with your parent issues… Oh, you know what? It's a miracle you can even walk and talk at the same time. My god, my dad is a shrink, so I know about issues.” Dani calls for a time-out! What about work, the glory of the challenge? Babe looks over to see Josh smiling at her. EVERY NOW AND THEN, A HAPPY ENDING… As Kendall cries, Ryan assures her he’s not going anywhere, not as long as she needs him. Kendall shakes her head as she cries that they took Zach down like some wild animal. She tried to help him, she tried to be there for him, but he hates her. She doesn’t understand this, “I never, ever thought he would ever look at me like that.” Ryan says he’s seen rage like that before—hell, he’s felt it! It’s all too much to be all on one person. Kendall tells him she felt all of that hate aimed right at her. Ryan insists, “And me and everyone.” As Kendall says she doesn’t know how this happened, she has no idea who he is anymore, they hear Jack’s raised voice from Derek’s office. Kendall tells Ryan it’s okay, she’ll be fine, and he goes in with Livia. Jack demands, “Come on, Derek, what are you trying to prove? You can punch lower, play dirtier than any criminal out there?” He knows this is premature! Derek shrugs he knows the system, and Jack gestures at the two men in the office as he asks, “So you bring in Pennsylvania and New York? Now, what are they supposed to do, arm-wrestle to see who gets to prosecute Ms. McDermott first?” Livia thinks she got here just in time, and introduces herself as Ms. McDermott’s attorney. Jack tells her to meet Stanford Wiler, one of New York City's glorious assistant D.A.s, and he believes she knows their own local prosecutorial god. Livia nods at the local D.A., “I wish I could say it was a pleasure, but it's not.” The man protests they’re making a lot of noise about normal, everyday procedure, but Jack insists he’s making a lot of noise about a lot of cheap muscle flexing. Ryan’s eyes widen as the D.A. notes he flexed enough to get his murderer out on bail. Livia exclaims, “Come on, guys! This is legal overkill. The bottom line is one flesh wound and one dead piece of scum.” “You know I didn't mean to shoot Ryan,” Annie tells her, and Kendall agrees, of course not. When Annie goes on that she’s sorry Jonathan was arrested, Kendall says she is, too, but she’s glad he shot that Terry guy. She realizes what she said, and tells Annie she’s sorry. She knows he was her little girl’s father, but at least he can't hurt anyone anymore. Annie sighs about all those years together thinking she loved Terry, but she never really knew him, just his lies and the man he'd invented for her, “So now I need to fight a dead man I didn't even really know for my daughter.” Kendall asks if she could actually lose Emma? Annie nods, she could go to jail. She’s got Emma hidden, so it's not like they can just hand her off to someone right now, but… Kendall insists Livia won't let that happen. She has faith in her, and in Ryan. As long as she has Ryan on her side, she’ll be fine. When Annie thanks her for sharing, Ryan, that is, Kendall replies, “I can’t share Ryan. He's not mine to share.” When Ryan insists Annie shot him by mistake, it was an accident, Derek asks if that’s because the plan was to shoot her husband? Ryan exclaims there was no plan! The D.A. insists that his shooting supports Ms. McDermott’s assertion that her husband was a madman who had to be stopped. Derek agrees, she was so upset, so distraught by the thought of her husband coming back to take her daughter, the woman shoots her protector and savior instead. The D.A. goes on that meanwhile, Jonathan Lavery is stalking this guy he found his soon-to-be ex-wife with in New York, where she went willingly. Now, she’s meeting this same man again, also willingly, no coercion. Jack exclaims they told them how this happened! Ryan asks if they think Annie convinced his brother to kill Terry? The D.A. thinks the payoff for his brother is pretty obvious. McDermott's death was the sure end to whatever went on between him and Jack’s daughter. Barely controlling his anger, Jack demands, “Okay. Derek, you, me, outside now!” Where’s his memory? Garret Williams, going after Dani, what he wanted to do to her? Does he really think that Lily was asking for it, that she wanted to have an affair with Terry McDermott, “My Lily?” Derek shrugs this is the district attorney's show, “You prove to me Terry McDermott was a perv, I'll use it. Until then, I…” Ryan shouts, “If you morons think that you can pull this off…” As Livia tells him to go outside, Jack returns and agrees, just let him handle this. He tells Ryan that his brother trusts him enough to let him represent him, and he needs him to trust him, too. Ryan warns, “You better not screw this up, Jackson.” Out in the squad room, Ryan makes a call, “Hey, it's me. What do you got? Well, you keep on that, all right, and remember that I am behind you whatever it takes.” Annie comes up and wonders if she can ship him home and force him to get some rest? Told no, she asks him to sit down, and she’ll get him a glass of water? Something stronger, if she can find it. When Ryan says he takes lemon in his water, she sighs, “Oh, high-maintenance. Would you just sit down while I find the cop in charge of citrus?” She returns with cups of water, and Ryan takes her hand as they wait. He sees Erin come in to the station carrying a large manila envelope, and jumps up to go to her. Ryan calls, “Come on out! Everybody out! I want you all to know I have the solution. I realize you all want to think that this was a complex plan to kill an innocent man who got in his wife's way.” He gestures at the envelope, “Well, I think this will prove you wrong.” Jack asks what is that? Ryan tells them it’s Terry McDermott’s laptop straight from his hotel room in Philly, “Now, I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready to let the dead man speak for himself.” Derek suggests they start with the one to Victorious, “Sweet Tori, all love and congratulations on your 14th birthday. My new woman. We passed a milestone last night, didn't we? I felt new with you and so good, I imagined you all night. Did you still feel me with you this morning?" He reads a text message to Lily, "Lily, I want 2 see U. We should meet, but I'm scared. It has to be alone. I get too anxious around normal people because of my disorder. You're different because you're like me and we're the same age. It feels safe if it's just U and me." He signed it "Asperger Boy." Jack exclaims he told him he tricked Lily into seeing him, and Ryan repeats he’s a pervert. When D.A. Wiler says none of which has any bearing on Ms. McDermott's actions in New York, Livia exclaims he has got to be kidding! Stanford maintains she defied a court order, but Livia points out it never would have been issued if the judge had been apprised of the facts. Stanford stiffly says that isn't the issue, and Jack exclaims, “Oh, for god's sake, of course that's the issue!” Ryan repeats Terry was sick and twisted, but the D.A. says even if that’s true, and they have no proof that this is legitimate evidence, his brother did not have the right to take McDermott's life. Jack agrees a few months ago, he would have been 100% behind these prosecutions. It took him a long time to realize the truth of all this, but he knows it now. If they continue on with these prosecutions of Jonathan Lavery and Ms. McDermott, he will go public. Loudly, visibly public. Jonathan loved his daughter and he saved her not once, but twice from McDermott. He owes him a debt he can never repay, but he will try, “And I'll tell you how I will try. I will see your careers crumbling around you before I will see Jonathan Lavery do one day of jail time. You follow me?” He's at the hospital right now, trying to reach his daughter, trying to get through the damage and trauma that Terry McDermott here caused, “Oh, come on, gentlemen, what good will prosecuting these two do?” All that happened in both of these cases is that someone cared enough about another person, a mother for her daughter, a young man for the woman he loves, to put themselves at risk to protect another human being. He’s not asking them to toss the law out, he is asking they serve the law without any thought toward personal advancement, “Because, gentlemen, that is what we are supposed to do, isn't it? Huh? Aren't we supposed to serve and protect? Well, that is exactly what Jonathan Lavery and Annie McDermott did.” Livia says justice was served. She knows it cost the department a big investigation and probably a lot of overtime, but Derek doesn’t look too unhappy. Derek nods he’s a simple guy before warning, “No jokes, Livia.” Livia agrees she never jokes with the Chief of Police, or with her baby brother. Derek says he doesn’t ask for much—his daughter safe and reasonably happy, his job, to chug along with as few ulcers as possible. Livia pinches his cheek and laughs. Annie hugs Erin as she says she can’t believe it. It'll really happen, won't it? Erin says yes, she’s in the clear. They're going to make the bench warrant go away! Jamal brings Emma in, and Annie joyfully hugs her. Derek and Livia watch from the doorway, and Derek smiles, “And every now and then, I like a happy ending.” THE CENTER OF YOUR UNIVERSE… Simone looks at the ad and says it needs work, but she likes it and the music's good. She says she needs a mocha frappe and leaves with Dani to bring back some fuel. Babe looks at the screen and sighs it’s tired, it’s the same thing and it's her second attempt, “I obviously can't do anything right.” When Josh turns off the screen, she asks, “What?” Josh asks if she realizes what she did for him? He cried—that was huge! Babe sighs as she thinks of that coffin he built for himself, and says no one should ever have to go through pain like that. Josh agrees, but everyone does, “And if I ever have to go through anything like that ever again, can I come to you?” Babe agrees, of course he can, and turns back to the ads, on a deadline. Josh kneels beside her as he says Colby is missing, and they all know what that could mean. J.R., Adam, everyone has to be going crazy right now and she's in the middle of it. Why can't he do for her what she did for him? At least let him try, if not now, whenever she’s ready. Babe asks if she really helped him? Josh tells her she understood what it meant to him. No matter how screwed up it seemed, he had to share that experience with the man who raised him. He had to sort out his feelings for what they did to him and how he died. He needed her and will always need her. Babe sighs she didn’t mean to bring that out of him again and then admits she did, she was fishing, “Tell me I matter, Josh. Tell me how important I am." She shouldn't have, “I haven't any right.” Josh asks what, to the truth? That she means the world to him, that he needs her? He’s not ashamed to say that. When she tells him it has to stop, Josh insists, “I can’t stop loving you, Babe.” She was there for him when he needed her, the only friend that was there for him when he was completely alone, “Let me help make things easier for you. I can.” As Babe goes into his arms, Kendall comes in and clears her throat. Simone and Dani return with the frappes, all double shots, with an extra just for Kendall. Josh can’t keep his eyes off Babe as the others talk about the college focus group studies. Babe staples something and cries out when it turns out to be her finger, and Josh rushes to see if she’s all right. Babe insists it’s nothing, but Dani sees blood and quickly shields a queasy Simone from the sight. Josh wants to get some antibiotic, but Babe insists she’s cool; she’ll take care of it. She leaves the room, and Josh sees Kendall looking at him. “Babe really is the center of your universe, isn't she?” she asks. Josh demands, “Yeah, well, what do you think you're going to do about it?” Babe and Josh work on the ads together, and it’s obvious their minds are on more than the campaign… IT’S YOURS, JUST LIKE JONATHAN… Amanda and Erica watch from the doorway as Jonathan quietly speaks, “I'm here, Lily…Jonathan. Your dad asked me to come. It's amazing, huh? All I've wanted is to be with you, and your dad, of all people, helped me out of a really tough spot so I could be here. Your father loves you very much, Lily, and he wants you to know that you're safe, that it's safe to come back.” Amanda sighs as she wonders what it’s like to be loved like that? It must make everything better, fix whatever's wrong. Erica calls it the best chance they have as Jonathan asks, “Lily, please talk to me.” Erica leaves as Jonathan goes on that Terry’s dead. He can never hurt her or anyone else again. She’s completely safe now, no margin for error, just like the equations that she likes to do. The problem is solved. He found the answer, and she is completely safe. Does she remember how he wanted to fill their tree house with daisies? And she wouldn't let him? She wouldn't let him cut them down because she knew they'd die. So they dug them up and put them each in cups and kept them in the tree house. He wishes he was with her in the tree house right now watching those daisies bloom. He gets an idea and says he’ll be right back; he won’t be long. Amanda stops him in the hallway and says if anyone can reach her, he can. Lily needs him, and she doesn’t want him to think… She understands, okay? Jonathan thanks her, and Amanda sighs he needs her, too. What the two of them have is really beautiful. Jonathan thanks her again and kisses her forehead before leaving. Amanda goes back in the room and tells Lily she has their lucky silver dollar piece, “I'm just keeping it safe for you. It's yours, Lily, just like Jonathan.” Jeff finds Erica deep in thought and says he’s sorry, he didn’t mean to startles her. Is Lily any better? Erica sighs Jonathan is in there now talking to her, trying to reach her, but Lily is just lying there in her own world. She's not responding to the man who adores her, who she adores. She just hates that Lily's all alone right now. Jeff smiles, “Well, she has you and a blue shawl that turns red purple?” Surprised, Erica says he heard that? Jeff nods, it’s part of why he wants to get to know her better. Erica wonders, “Why do I feel so uneasy?” Jeff says because she’s thinking after all these year she has to play catch-up with a guy who didn't get her the first time around. Erica admits, “To tell you the truth, I don't think that I even got me the first time around.” Jeff says yes, she did. He watched her show today. She always knew that she was going to be bigger, burn brighter, “You were already a star. Me? I had blinders on.” Jeff brings her a cup of tea, and they sit, talking companionably, as they wait. Jonathan returns with a CD player and says it hit him that she could use their song right now. Does she remember? No matter how bad or how stressful any of their days were, they would play this before bed because it would guarantee good dreams. He turns the soft music on and asks, “Please, Lily, talk to me. Show me that you know I'm here. Please talk to me.” Amanda watches through the window as Jonathan urges Lily to talk to him, and buries his head in his hands. Jonathan tells Lily he’s so sorry he tricked her. He did the wrong thing, he never should have lied to her, but the love was real, not a lie. The way they needed each other and were better together than apart wasn’t a lie. He wishes he could just pull her back from wherever she is, but knows he can’t touch her. He takes out the white scarf, saying he was going to give this to her after he packed up her things, but he kept carrying it, just in case, “I'll hold on to one end if you hold on to the other. Here. Please, Lily. Please hold on to me.” Erica says Josh actually told her he doesn’t hate her. That's pretty big, right? Jeff calls that huge! When did this happen? Erica explains it was the night they couldn’t find Lily, the night she was with that Terry person. She went to see Josh; she needed him to know… She was so worried about Lily, it brought back a lot of really horrible memories, and she just knows the things that can happen to a girl who's that vulnerable. Jeff agrees, she’s learned that from experience. Erica says she wanted Josh to know that he wasn't one of those terrible things that was done to her—I wanted him to know that he wasn't "done" to her. Does he know what she means? Jeff asks if he understood? Erica sighs it’s all been such a shock, finding out who he is and how it all happened, and she just wanted him to know, “I just want our son to find a life that brings him joy.” Jeff thinks if Josh gives her a chance, he'll realize just how lucky a guy he really is. Jack comes in and tells Lily, “Hi, sweetheart. It's me. It's Daddy. I have some great news for you. Jonathan won't have to stand trial. He's safe.” Jonathan smiles at Jack as he tells Lily they’re both safe now, and Jack asks her to please come back to them, “We both love you so much.” Lily goes inside her head and cries, “No red, no red. No red.” She goes through a door where the red is gone, but the “hot girls” are waiting for her, taunting her and offering a special milkshake to drink to prove she’s hot. She goes back into the red room, then returns to the white room, relieved to find the girls gone, but terrified when she sees Terry saying they’re the same, “You make me feel good. You're just like me.” She cries no, and hears Jonathan’s voice saying she’s safe with him, they’re a lot alike because they match. He feels safe with her and loves her, till death do they part. Lily holds her ears and turns to see a white light, Jack in a clean white shirt, telling her it’s okay; everything can be okay again. She asks, “It won't go red again? No more red?” Jack says she’s taught him to be a better father. She’ll see, “Just come back to us. I only want you to come back.” He holds out his hand, and Lily imagines herself asking, “It's safe? I'm safe.” She smiles and moves toward him as the fog clears in her head, and she calls out, “Daddy…” Jack joyfully says yeah, they’re here, “It's me. I'm here.” Jonathan tells her they’ve missed her, he’s been so scared for her, but Lily cries, “Not him. Only Daddy.” Jack tells her that Jonathan’s been here talking to her, and played music for her. Jonathan starts to leave, and Jack tells him not to go, but Jonathan insists, “Tell her that I'll never bother her again.” He leaves, and Amanda goes after him. Erica comes in and sees that Lily’s back; she happily tells Jack he has to concentrate on that, and they can worry about the rest later. She backs out of the room, and Lily calls for Jack again; he sits and tells her he’s right here. Jeff watches Erica as she looks in from the doorway. LOVE RULES YOU… After finishing with the ads, Josh declares that’s all it needed; he and Babe agree, now it is fresh! When he leaves to see to something else, Kendall tells Babe she found the answer. Confused, Babe wonders if she asked her a question? Kendall says no, actually, she did, but thinks Babe needs to hear the answer.On the roof, when they were talking about the guys who hurt them, and how they can't forgive them, it just hit her, “We can't. Because if we forgive them, it's like giving them permission to do it all over again, and they will. So you don't ever forgive them, ever. It's the only answer that makes any kind of sense.” She’s telling her to get it together. Okay? Where's the tough decision here? “Simone and Dani listen as she goes on, “A great caring guy who wants to be there for you and support you and protect you? Or the not-so-great guy who lies to you and keeps secrets and hurts you and makes you suffer? And he's the one that you stick with? It's time to stop being stupid and get a clue or buy one or something.” Simone has a question, noting it’s a public discussion, right? Which good guy/bad guy combo are they talking about here? J.R. and Josh, or Zach and Ryan? Kendall calls it a generalization about life, “You hook up with a not-so-good guy…” Simone picks it up and says and he’s there, right? All gorgeous and misunderstood, “He needs you, and maybe, just maybe you can change him.” Dani notes, “Oh, yeah, right, like that ever happens. But you fall for his charm and the motorcycle…” Kendall says so you click with the bad boy, but you stick around because you've invested time and energy and emotion. When Simone says you love him, Kendall nods, “Or you think you do.” Dani adds that you can't turn love on and off. It rules you. Kendall says you have no idea if the night's going to end up in hot, steamy sex or tears, and Dani sighs, “Or both.” Babe says then suddenly, out of nowhere, another guy comes on the scene; Kendall agrees, and he’s got so many of the qualities that you used to list. Babe nods, and he’s everything you always thought you wanted. But he's the new guy, not the investment. Kendall muses, “Or maybe he's not so new. Maybe you've known him for ages, and he's back in your life again.” She laughs she doesn’t even have a man in my life, never mind two of them, so obviously, the conversation here is about Babe. She has two men on strings! Simone sighs that the best guy in the entire world was hers for a while. Yeah. Dreamy, sexy, loving, Ethan. Why anyone would pick the other? Obviously, they just want to be hurt. You want your guy to be there for you, and you help him as much as he helps you. She had that. Ethan never hurt her, never broke her heart, “Well, you know, until he died. I'm telling you, if I ever find a man half as wonderful as Ethan was, I am grabbing onto him, ladies, and I am never letting go.” She laughs, “And that speech actually made sense.” As the others laugh with her, Ryan gets off the elevator as Josh returns with a plate of food. Dani shrugs, “If you wish them, they'll come.” Kendall turns to look at Babe. Ryan takes Kendall to the roof, and she asks what’s going on? He says something good for a change. Kendall gets that, “Jonathan?” Ryan nods, “Not facing charges, with Lily, admired by Jackson.” Kendall thinks the world just turned upside down! Ryan says no, it’s the stars and the planets, perfectly aligned. Everything is going right. Kendall asks if they can have world peace? Ryan tells her his fingers are crossed. Kendall hugs him as she says Jonathan free is a really good start. Ryan grimaces with pain, and she tells him she’s sorry. Ryan grins, “Yeah, it's a start.” Josh gestures at the ad and asks if she knows what that is? Babe calls it the result of fantastic teamwork, and Josh puts an arm around her as he grins if they put as much energy into polishing this thing, he sees a Clio nomination in their future. “Only a nomination?” Babe teases. Josh zooms in to change a color, make it pop better, and calls it perfect. He sees that she’s not looking—doesn’t she like it? He’s taken aback when Babe tells him, “After this project is over, I have to let you go. Kendall asks what he has in mind? When Ryan says those perfectly aligned planets and stars are all around her, Kendall tells him the stars can't help her. Ryan takes her hand as he tells her, “But I can. Just give me tonight.” Kendall smiles as she agrees, “It's yours.”

Wednesday, September 20, 2006 WHATEVER’S IN STORE… As they go into ConFusion, Kendall agrees she’s definitely up for a night out, but has one teensy reservation. Ryan assumes she means Spike, and assures her he’s totally dialed in. He’s got his old man’s place all to himself tonight, and he’s got a smokin’-hot nanny… Okay, like an average hot nanny. He’s never had it so good! Kendall agrees their son is living the high life, but his father just suffered a bullet wound to the chest; that’s a good argument for taking it easy. Ryan thinks it’s a better argument to celebrate, because Spike’s mom really needs an excuse to unwind. When was the last time she cut loose? Kendall wonders if being in a coma counts? Ryan says definitely not. Can she just try to have fun tonight and forget all the problems? Amanda watches as Jonathan brings cocktails to Ryan and Kendall, who agrees she’s down with that. Jonathan agrees, because tonight is about living in the moment. Ryan offers a toast to tonight, and whatever’s in store. As they sit at a table, Di asks if Tad cares so much about his boys, why is he throwing Dixie to the wolves? If she is found guilty, Dixie could be sentenced to death! She doesn’t see how Tad’s okay with that, and Jamie bailing on the family just to avoid the unavoidable, “And you.” What’s up with that? She just doesn’t know what’s happened to this family! As Julia starts to reply, Jamie comes up and pulls her into his arms, “Guess who?” Surprised, Julia says she thought he’d be in Europe by now. Jamie agrees he should be, but he started thinking. Why would he want to leave Pine Valley when she’s here? Di smiles as he and Julia share a kiss. Amanda tells Ryan and Kendall that Dexter made the most amazing tapas tonight, so she’ll have the kitchen send out an order. Jonathan joins them and asks if they’re sticking with martinis tonight, or switch it up to something more festive, like champagne? Nothing says celebrating like popping a cork! Ryan notes he’s in a good mood tonight. Jonathan agrees, he’s got an awesome job, and an even better manager, so what does he have to be down about? What are they celebrating? Kendall smiles, “Well, Ryan’s not dead.” Ryan drinks to that, adding that Annie got her daughter back, no charges against her, or Jonathan. Kendall bets Annie can’t wait to get the hell out of this town. She and Emma must be so excited to get back to their old life! Ryan tells her he’s going to try and convince them to stay in Pine Valley, keep working for him. Kendall changes the subject—when can they get that champagne? Jamie explains when he made the decision to leave Pine Valley, he’d pretty much had it with this place. Between the cops, his dad and Dixie, there was a lot he was ticked off about, but he realized running wasn’t going to make any of it go away. So, here he is, ready to face it all head on. He takes Julia’s hand and adds, “Besides, I missed the hell out of you.” He’ll get margaritas, and they’ll celebrate him back in the ‘hood. Di grins as she tells Julia, “Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water.” Ryan thinks Kendall needs to laugh so hard she can’t breathe, but she protests she’s a mother and doesn’t think she should do anything! Amanda brings their appetizer plate, and Kendall asks if she’s shown her Spike’s latest pictures? She’s in for a treat! As she goes through the pictures, Ryan sighs he’s got his work cut out for tonight. Three girls surround Jonathan and ask him to tell them that’s not a white stripe on his finger! He’s married? Jonathan agrees he was, but that’s all over now. Asked if he’s available, he smiles, “Yeah, I guess you could say that.” Amanda goes to the bar, and Del tells her to check out Jonathan working the ladies! When did he go all Colin Ferrell on them? Amanda tells him not to panic; she’s sure he’ll leave some room for him. Jamie returns with drinks, and asks where Di went? Julia explains she asked her to let them have some alone time. Jamie calls that nice work. He doesn’t know what she had in mind, but he thought they could order a little food while they drink these margaritas, and then head back to his place to make their reunion official. Julia’s sorry, but there isn’t going to be a reunion, “It’s over.” Kendall regales the crowd at the bar as she bets Ryan ten bucks she can pick up an olive in the upside down martini glass without any bodily contact. She does so, and Ryan complains he suggested a body shot, and she showed him a trick with an olive. That’s a little buzz kill! Kendall offers him a chance to get his money back; she needs six maraschino cherries and a straw! Ryan laughs he’s actually seen that trick once in Tijuana, and goes to get what she requested. Del tells Jonathan he heard about his breakup. He knows he and Lily had something special, and he’s sorry. If he needs any help forgetting, he’s got a couple of twins he can hook him up with. Saying he’ll keep it in mind, Jonathan walks away. Amanda asks Del and what he was thinking? The guy’s heart is in pieces—he’s not looking for a nasty booty call with one or two or ten of his skanky leftovers! Del gives her some insight into the male mind, “The best way to deal with a breakup is a hookup.” Amanda agrees, for the average jerk, maybe, but Jonathan is not like that. Lily was the love of his life, and there’s not a woman in the world that could take his mind off her. He’s probably the nicest, most decent guy she’s ever met, and Del’s an idiot if he thinks his male mind is anywhere near Jonathan’s! Del wonders if it’s Jonathan that can’t get over Lily, or maybe she’s a little hung up on Jonathan? She shouldn’t waste her time on a head case like that. She needs someone unattached and available. He leans in as if to kiss her, and Amanda warns, “Don’t even think about it.” She walks over to Jonathan and asks if he’s okay? He says yeah, and comments on the great crowd tonight. Amanda insists he doesn’t have to put up a front for her; she knows how upset he was when Lily asked him to leave the hospital. Jonathan corrects her, she didn’t ask him to leave, she demanded it. She couldn’t be in the same room with him! Amanda protests that she’s confused; she’s going to see what he did for her and how much he loves her. Jonathan asks if they can not talk about Lily anymore? They’re through, and he has to deal with that. Ryan comes up and asks, “Whoa! You’re giving up on Lily?” Jonathan says he lost Lily a long time ago. She’s safe now, so he has to back off. Her dad’s going to make sure she stays safe, and that’s it. Ryan thinks that would be okay if he means it, but he knows what she means to him. Jonathan insists he’s fine, really. Julia tells Jamie she had the best time with him. It was unexpected, exciting and fun, but it’s run its course. Jamie thinks she’s mad because he was going to leave the country without her. Julia says no, he invited her to go to Europe with him but she said no; that’s hardly walking out on her. Jamie agrees, and guesses what she’s saying is she’s just not that into him? Julia tells him what she’s saying is that it was great, but it’s time to move on. Deep down, he knows she’s right. Jamie agrees she’s absolutely right, but it’s going to take a little getting used to. No hard feelings? Julia agrees, none at all. Jamie kisses her and leaves the table; Julia sadly watches him go. Di greets Jonathan, and notes he seems good. Jonathan asks what, like 100%? It’s amazing what a hard blow to the head can do to lift the fog. He lost the stutter, he lost the innocence; he lost a lot of things. Di asks if that’s bad? Jonathan sighs he’s just trying to figure out where he fits in now. Di knows what that’s like. Asked how that’s working out for her, Di says she’ll let him know when she gets there. Jonathan questions if it’s that hard? Di says when everything you thought you knew about yourself and your future flies out the window, letting go and starting over is pretty damn tough. SPEAK LOUDER, PEOPLE! When Tad shows up at the manse and says she’s just the person he wants to see, Krystal asks if he’s crazy? She told him whatever happened between them was a one-time thing, and it’s never going to happen again. Tad knows, he heard her the first time, and suggests she give him a little credit. What kind of dog does she think he is? Krystal gestures for him to come in, “Well, if you really want to know, Rover…” Tad asks if she’d stop jumping down his throat long enough for him to explain something? He came here because he wanted to see her, but not because he wanted to get away with anything under Adam’s roof! From the tunnels, Colby listens as Tad says he happens to have more pressing things on his mind, or less pressing, as the case may be. He’s worried sick about J.R., and wants to know how he’s handling Colby’s disappearance. Krystal wishes she could tell him, but she hasn’t seen him much lately. When he’s not out trying to track down his missing sister, he’s doing everything he can to keep his mother out of prison. If that breaks his heart, take a look in the mirror at the guy staring back at him, because he’s to blame! Tad guesses he came here under false pretenses, or he’s suffering a flashback, because he assumed they were friends. What the hell did he miss? Krystal says the night that Dixie was arrested, he was all in knots, trying to figure out what to do, how to make it better for everybody. She knew he was sitting on something explosive, but all he had for her was that he had some sort of bead on Greg Madden’s killer. Colby listens intently as Tad asks what she wanted him to do, say he saw Dixie stuff a body in her trunk the night Madden disappeared? Krystal retorts he didn’t have to say it, because she thought she had a way of solving the problem without naming names or painting pictures, and thought he agreed with her, whoever killed that snake Madden deserved a parade, not a trial. So, how did he end up on the top of a witness list, ready to annihilate Dixie in court? Tad sighs she doesn’t know the whole story; he doesn’t have a choice. Krystal doesn’t think there’s been a knot invented that he can’t squirrel his way out of. Yeah, she’s sure it gutted him to learn she wasn’t the Dixie he fell in love with way back when. He was disappointed, angry and resentful, but out to ruin that woman’s life? The mother J.R. has longed for all these years? Is he that bitter? Can he be filled with that much hate? Tad insists he never intended to say a word to the cops about seeing Zach and Dixie with a body that night, but Derek bugged his house and taped every word when he confronted Zach with what he saw. Now his good friend the Chief is threatening to play the whole thing in front of a jury. Krystal accepts that, but does he expect her to believe he’s all broken up about it after he’s been going around spewing hate against his ex to anyone who will listen? Tad agrees he’s sickened by the thought of Dixie jumping into bed with Zach, but he didn’t want any of this. Krystal shrugs here he is, ready to take the stand against her, and Tad thinks she’s acting like he’s happy to do it. He hasn’t made an official statement. He intended to flee the town, leave the entire country, before he could be served with a subpoena, and would have if Del hadn’t stepped in with his size 13s. Krystal thinks he put himself in this mess by strutting around like he had this big secret—Derek wouldn’t have bugged his house in the first place! Tad agrees she’s right, and he hates all of it. If he doesn’t testify, Derek is going to charge his boys with stealing evidence. If he does testify, there’s a good chance he’s going to send his sons’ mother away for the rest of her life. As angry as she thinks he is at Dixie, he would never want to hurt her that way. Colby listens intently as Krystal says there’s something else he’d better think about, “If you do hurt Dixie, she has enough ammo to turn right back around and fire at me.” Colby grins, “So Dixie has a secret on Krystal. Suddenly I’m liking being invisible.” She leans closer to the wall to listen as Krystal tells Tad that sending Dixie to prison is going to blow her world sky-high. Tad calls it a hunch, but hurting her is probably the last thing on Dixie’s list right now. Krystal’s pretty sure that hurting him is pretty high on that list. Doesn’t he think when she’s handcuffed and carted off to prison, she’s going to do everything she can to get even with him? Colby murmurs she can’t hear, “Speak louder, people!” It’s so annoying! Krystal tells Tad when Dixie’s serving 25-to-life because he put her in prison, she’s not going to think twice about telling Adam they slept together. When Tad says that isn’t how Dixie operates, Krystal says ever since she resurfaced she’s been full of surprises, and she can’t take the chance she’s going to drop one on Adam, especially now. His daughter is missing, possibly forever, and he needs to know he can count on her. He can never find out what happened between them! Tad reminds her she only married the man so she could keep an eye on Little Adam while J.R. and Babe were separated, but Krystal exclaims she is in love with the man! She’s really, truly head-over-heels in love. If Tad takes apart her life with him, his won’t be worth living! Colby listens as Tad says this is for real, on the level—she’s in love with Adam? Krystal agrees, she loves the stuffing out of him. They have their differences, but there’s no one she’d rather be with than him. When it comes to loyalty, even he has to admit that Adam is more committed to holding his family together than any man he’ll ever meet. She’s not crazy about the fact that she’s in love with him, no more than he is, but they both realized some time ago that whether they wanted or expected this, it’s the best damn thing that ever happened to either one of them. She doesn’t want it to end! Tad says okay. As slow as he is to the gate, he gets the picture. If she tells him she’s in love with Adam, as much as he thinks she needs medication, he’s prepared to believe her. He cares about her, and would never do anything to hurt her or mess with her in any way. But, she’s been ready to throttle him since he walked in here, and don’t tell him that’s because she’s cuckoo for Chandler Puffs. There’s something else going on. Colby’s eyes narrow as Tad asks Krystal, “Are you sure there isn’t something you haven’t told me?” Krystal insists any edginess he’s sensing from her is nothing but concern for Adam and Colby. The sooner he’s out of here, the less explaining she’s going to have to do when he comes home, so vamoose, okay? Colby urges, “Spill the big secret first!” Krystal walks Tad to the door, and agrees she’ll tell J.R. he stopped by as soon as she sees him. Colby freezes when her foot hits the door; Krystal turns at the sound. ONCE IT’S FINISHED, IT’S DONE… Josh repeats she’s letting him go? What, leave early so he can go home and get some rest? Realizing she’s firing him, “Can I ask why?” He thought they were creating some magic here—the campaign turned out incredible! Babe agrees, but they are in the last phase of it. J.R. steps off the elevator and listens as Babe says once it’s finished, it’s done. She just thinks it’s better for everyone if they stop working together. J.R. goes in and makes a show of kissing Babe and holding her to him. Babe asks what’s the latest on Colby, and J.R. tells her nothing at all. His dad went out with the Coast Guard; he said he’d call the minute he heard something, and he’s still waiting on that phone call. Babe says she and Josh have until morning to polish this campaign, but if he needs her, Josh can finish it by himself. “How many times have I told you I don’t need you?” J.R. asks. Just stay and finish up with Josh—the sooner she’s done with him, the better! Babe asks if clinging to her just now like he really needed her was just for Josh’s benefit? “Don’t start,” J.R. warns. Babe says it could take a while to finish up here, “Don’t wait up.” She leaves the room, and J.R. tells Josh it looks like the hack of all jobs is getting the ax. He guesses he’s not really getting that promotion to Babe’s lover after all, huh? He thought it was all in the bag, didn’t he? All that time he spent kissing up to his wife, trying to convince her he’s the best man for her. He guesses that all blew up in his smug little face! Josh says Babe is letting him go from Fusion, but never said anything about cutting off their friendship. J.R. declares he doesn’t stand a chance in Hell with his wife! He thinks he knows Babe? He doesn’t have a clue! As far as his job here, Babe is just too nice to tell him the truth, he’s nothing but a glorified gofer! Yeah, it pretty much sucks for him right now. Babe returns and asks if everything’s okay here? J.R. agrees it couldn’t be better. He kisses her and leaves, and Babe asks Josh if he wants to tell her what just happened? Josh shrugs J.R. was just telling him how glad he is that he’s leaving the Fusion family. Babe hopes he can cut him some slack. His sister is missing, and his mother’s about to go to prison! Josh tells her to stop defending him! He’s not worth it, and he wishes she could see that. Babe sighs she loves him, but Josh asks if she realizes J.R. has no idea how lucky he is? If he was J.R., if she loved him as much as she loves J.R., he wouldn’t let a minute go by that they weren’t together. He would do anything to be in his shoes. If she wants him to leave Fusion, if it makes her more comfortable, he won’t fight it. Babe protests she is still his friend and will still be here for him whenever he needs her. Josh calls that great, but she can’t spend her free time worrying about him. She has enough problems of her own. I WAS IN SOMETHING… More than slightly tipsy, Kendall tries to show the staff the latest pictures of her son. The waiter beats a hasty retreat, and Kendall wonders if anyone doesn’t want to see her son? She turns to find herself face to face with J.R., who notes she’s the life of the party. He sees she’s all broken up about her husband rotting in a jail cell! Kendall thinks Zach wouldn’t be in there if it hadn’t been for Dixie, but J.R. argues that his mother wouldn’t be in this mess if not for her husband. Kendall snaps that Zach risked his freedom and their marriage for that whiny little rat, and J.R. thinks she’s in serious denial. Kendall retorts she’s seen dogs in heat subtler than that tramp he calls “Mommy”! As J.R. advances on her, Ryan steps forward and tells J.R. he doesn’t see any backup for him here, and if they get into it, he’s going to need it! J.R. asks if he’s sure he wants to waste his precious party time teaching him a lesson? He saw them living it up—don’t let him stop their celebrating! If Zach in jail is her way of getting through this sick three-way they call a marriage, more power to her. Just so she knows, if Zach drags his mother down with him, that’s when he’s really going to have a problem. Kendall wonders what he’s going to do, throw more construction stuff on them, or pop in some recorded disc he made? J.R. asks if she’s going to crawl out of Ryan’s bed long enough to give her husband a conjugal visit? Ryan advances on J.R., but Jamie steps in and takes his brother outside. Kendall walks out, with Ryan following. Amanda comes up as Jamie asks J.R. if he wants to start explaining? J.R. says sure, Kendall’s drunk—end of story! Amanda asks what’s his problem? Does he get off on making scenes here? J.R. tells her his problem is that his mother is up for a Death Row sentence, and his stepfather is likely going to put her there, all because she couldn’t keep Derek busy long enough so he and Jamie could get out of his office. Amanda says he doesn’t seriously think she’s the reason his mother may be convicted of murder? J.R. thinks that pretty much covers it, but Jamie tells him Amanda’s not the reason they got busted. J.R. tells Amanda to face it, she blew it. She had a chance for once in her life to do something good, and she failed. Why doesn’t she go back to doing something she’s good at, being Mommy’s Little Monster? As Jamie tells his brother to shut up, Jonathan comes up and asks what he said to her? Di asks Julia if she’s sure that splitting up with Jamie is what she wants to do? Julia admits it isn’t. She wants to be with him, and misses him so much it’s making her crazy. Jamie tells J.R. he knows his life sucks right now, but don’t put it on Amanda. None of it is her fault. If he wants to pound somebody, they both know who tops the list. Amanda insists she can handle J.R. Jonathan knows, but he’s there for her, anything she needs, any time. Amanda thanks him. She brings Jamie a drink on the house, for stopping his maniac brother from ruining another night at ConFusion. Jamie tells her not to let J.R. get to her. Their getting caught by Derek wasn’t her fault, nor is the trouble that Tad and Dixie are in. She took a big risk helping them, and they owe her. J.R. laughs and asks why he’s kissing up to her? Amanda declares, “You know, you deserve to get busted on the sole grounds you’re an ass!” She turns back to Jamie and says she is sorry if she made life any harder for him or Tad or Dixie. She leaves, and Jamie tells J.R. she’s right, he is an ass. When he notes he’s not the only one with problems, J.R. asks what happened? Jamie sighs Julia dumped him for no good reason—how’s that? Julia sighs she didn’t have a choice, but Di disagrees—you don’t just break things off with a guy you’re crazy about, unless his ex-wife comes back from the dead! Julia admits she thought she was cool with Jamie leaving the country, it was fun while it lasted. They said goodbye, went their separate ways, but she was devastated. She actually cried! Jamie doesn’t feel the same way. Brooke was right; she said he wasn’t ready for anything serious. Di insists he came back for her, but Julia knows he came back for his family, she was just part of it. She knows he’d be perfectly willing to pick up where they left off because they had fun together, but he’s not into anything long-term. Di asks what’s wrong with having fun? Fun is good! Julia agrees, but there’s a time limit on it, and when that time was up, she’d be the one left with a serious heartache. So, it’s just better, cutting it off right now. Di suggests maybe Jamie wants more, too. He said he couldn’t leave her. She’s not that much older than Jamie, and young guys have been known to settle down. Julia firmly insists, “Trust me, it’s better this way.” J.R. says he’s sorry about Julia, but it was just a fling, right? Jamie agrees, apparently for her. J.R. asks, “Come on, you weren’t, like, in love with her?” Jamie sighs, “I was in something.” Ryan and Kendall go to the roof and she says they gave it a go. They were almost there—one more bottle of champagne and even J.R. couldn’t have ruined the night! Ryan thinks somebody’s got to strangle that guy, and eventually someone is going to. Kendall sighs he just made her face the truth, her husband chose another woman over her. He lied to her, betrayed her, abandoned her and Spike, all because of Dixie. How can she be so stupid to make the wrong choice? How could she be so stupid to love him? Ryan insists she’s not stupid. She’s trusting and loving and devoted and beautiful, “And if Zach can’t see that, then maybe he doesn’t deserve you.” Zach gave her every reason to doubt him and resent him and throw him out, and she didn’t deserve what he did to her, the lies and secrets. What she deserves is somebody that’s going to love and respect her. “I want to love you,” Kendall tells him. Someone comes into the courtyard, looking from Kendall’s darkened condo to Ryan’s lighted one, then back at Kendall’s… J.R. tells Del his brother could use another drink, and make it strong; he just broke up with his girlfriend. Del notes there’s a lot of that going around. Seeing J.R. looking hungrily at the bottles behind the bar, Jamie warns if he even thinks about touching booze again, he’ll break both his hands! BETTER THAN I DREAMED… Josh shows Babe a layout, and they work closely together on the ad. She unthinkingly puts her hand on his, and they share a long look. Josh gestures to the computer screen and says this is it, “What do you think?” Babe smiles it’s fabulous, “Better than I dreamed.” Josh brushes a strand of hair from her face and kisses her; Babe gives in to passion and responds.

Thursday, September 21, 2006 “LOVE” AND “SIMPLE” DON’T REALLY GO TOGETHER… “What do you mean, you want to love me?” Ryan asks, “What are you saying?” Kendall wonders if he really doesn’t get it? She softly tells him, “I want to love you. How can I make it any more simple?” Ryan notes “love” and “simple” don’t really go together. Simple is like pizza and beer and love is more like a gourmet meal, complicated and unpredictable, often ending in disaster. Kendall declares he’s backing off, but Ryan guesses he’s giving her an out. “What if I don’t want an out?” she asks. Ryan declares this is where a conscious man would say something like, “Don’t play me, Kendall.” Kendall insists, “I’m not playing you.” She looks up at the sky and wonders if there’s a full moon? Ryan says no, no moon at all, just a zillion stars, and they’re all lined around her. Kendall grins maybe that’s why she’s feeling so juicy, there’s stardust in the air, lots and lots of glittery bits of magic all around them. Or, maybe it’s the heat, the Indian summer—it’s not supposed to be this hot right now. It’s the kind of heat that makes you sort of silly, wild and crazy, “It’s the kind of heat that can make you do just about anything.” She doesn’t think anything in the universe is aligned tonight. The Earth is just tweaked out of its orbit, and it’s spinning around like a top on a table, about to fall off the edge. Asked if she thinks they’re going to fall, Kendall wonders what’s wrong with falling? Maybe falling is a good thing. He’s always been her rock. Ever since he’s come back, he’s always been her rock, always been there for her and their son. She wants to be his rock. When Ryan says she’s Spike’s mom, of course he’s always going to be there for her, Kendall tells him it goes way beyond that. He gets it. He has his priorities straight and knows what’s important. He would never put his family at risk for anything, let secrets and lies and his pride get in the way of the future. He’s the real deal, noble and honorable and true. She wants to devote herself to him. She wants to be there for him, to give her heart to him, because he’s the one who deserves it. Ryan touches her cheek and says, “You want to love me.” Kendall has tears in her eyes as she says yes, but Ryan sighs, “But you don’t. You don’t love me, and wishing and wanting doesn’t make that real, unfortunately.” Love isn’t like a hedge fund. You can't have all your money in one investment, and if it looks a little shaky, you can't just buy into something that looks a little bit safer. When Kendall asks what if he’s wrong, Ryan questions wrong about what, how love works? “About my feelings for you?” Kendall replies. Ryan takes her hand and leads her from the roof, telling her to hold that thought, he’s taking her home. YOU DON’T HAVE TO SAY ANYTHING… After their passionate kiss, Josh tells Babe he loves her, absolutely and completely. He’s never felt this way before, real love. As he kisses her again, he says he wants to love her every day and every night for the rest of his life. He takes her hand and puts it on his heart, asking if she feels that? He wasn’t sure he had one, and now he does. His heart is hers and there’s nothing he will ever need in this world except for her. He moves to kiss her again, but Babe moves away. When he tells her she doesn’t have to say anything, Babe touches his cheek gently and looks into his eyes before going to the elevator. She turns to look back at him, and sighs as the door closes. SOME ROADBLOCKS YOU CAN OVERCOME, SOME YOU CAN’T… After J.R. makes a call and learns there’s still no word on Colby, he tells Jamie he doesn’t know zip about alcoholism or addiction, so shut his mouth and stuff his threats! Jamie agrees he’s never been to an AA meeting or read the literature on it, but he still has some serious credit because his brother is a serious drunk. J.R. retorts that serious drunks don't take threats like children or follow commands like dogs. They either drink or they don't and threatening to break their drinking hands doesn't do squat. Jamie shrugs, maybe not, “But you want a drink so badly, I can taste it.” J.R. asks what’s his point? Jamie tells him he hates Josh just as much as he does, “But if you fall off the wagon, I'll be rooting for him to take Babe away from you.” J.R. insists Babe is not going anywhere near Josh Madden, because he’s not going back on the bottle. If he needs a meeting, he’ll go get one, but he doesn’t need his kid brother or anybody else watching him, breathing down his neck, trying to dish out idiotic advice. He’s fine! Jamie agrees, why shouldn’t he be? He’s practically drooling over scotch bottles. His teenage sister may be lost at sea. Their baby sister may be lost forever, and his mom's about to go on trial for murder. Yeah, life's perfect, “I mean, who really cares about Kate or Colby or Dixie? I mean, they're only family, right?” J.R. repeats he’s fine, but Di doesn’t see how he could be. “Is there an echo in here?” J.R. demands. Jamie tells him Di’s just trying to be nice. When she asks if there’s anything she can do to help him, J.R. says yeah—stop bugging him! Stop babying him, stop analyzing him. He’s getting it from all sides tonight! He doesn’t need a nanny or a parole officer or a shrink. Heck, he doesn’t need to be sitting here putting up with this! Jamie suggests they go play some basketball, and Di thinks that sounds like fun. J.R. tells her to add camp counselor to the list of supervisors he doesn’t need. He tosses some cash on the bar and says he’s out, “I've had enough of the J.R. rescue team for one night.” As he starts to leave, Josh comes in. The men face off; Jamie starts toward them, but Di catches his arm. J.R. walks away, and Di breathes a sigh of relief; for a second there, she thought they were going to be picking up teeth from the floor. Jamie thinks it went a lot better than it could have. J.R. had an audience and a whole lot to prove. After Josh orders a vodka on the rocks, he sees Julia at the bar and asks if she’s flying solo tonight? Told no, he wonders if she’s still splashing around the kiddie pool? Del brings his drink, and Josh suggests he hook Nurse Julia up with one of these, and, what, a Shirley Temple for her date? Julia thanks Del, but says Jonathan’s got her. Josh wonders, “Oh, you finally got tired of mounting Martin the Minor?” Julia asks him if harassing other people, trying to make them nuts, is how he distracts himself from whatever's making him crazy? Josh sighs maybe she and Martin are meant to be, and he’s just the world's biggest jerk. Julia agrees he is the world's biggest jerk, but if they were meant to be, they would be, “But we're not.” Josh asks what, they’re not fated to ride off into the sunset together? He guesses if they were, there wouldn't be any giant roadblocks, would there? Julia tells him some roadblocks you can overcome, some you can't. One of the prime examples of one that you can't is when the person you love doesn't love you back. Josh replies, “Or worse—the person you love loves someone else.” THE PLAGUE OF PINE VALLEY… After checking on Spike, Ryan pronounces that he’s sleeping like a baby! Rachel’s taking care of the Spikeman so his mom can get some sleep, in how long? Kendall doesn’t know, she’s lost count, and thinks if there were as many babies as there are stars in the sky, theirs would still be the most beautiful. She holds out her hand, “Shall we?” They go inside the condo, and Ryan says it’s her night off, so she can do anything she wants. Kendall goes to open some wine, asking if he’ll join her, but Ryan sees something in the courtyard and tells her to give him a sec. He comes back with Dixie in tow and tells Kendall, “Look who I found sneaking a peek in your window.” Kendall incredulously asks, “You're spying on me? I mean, I knew you were a nasty tramp, but a peeping tom? What kind of sick freak are you?” Dixie insists she wasn’t spying. She was waiting for a good time to slip in here and get some of Zach's stuff; she wanted to wait until no one was home to avoid exactly this kind of scene. Kendall wants to hear that list, which items she wants to steal for Zach and bring back to jail for him. When Dixie is silent, Kendall notes it’s a simple question, “You really are a sick freak.” Ryan agrees, no answers, no explanations. What is this? What is she trying to prove? Dixie doesn’t know, “Maybe that Kendall's betraying Zach.” Ryan calls that way out of line, and Kendall orders her out of her house and out of her life. Dixie asks if she didn’t see Zach lying on the floor of the prison cell bleeding, wrecked, handcuffed to an iron bar? She just wanted to prove to Zach, the man who loves Kendall and would do anything for her, that perhaps his wife is not worth all the pain. Kendall questions, “Okay, I'm not worth the pain, but you are? The Plague of Pine Valley?” Dixie tells her she can love two men; it’s a little messy, but it isn't against the law. But, you can’t have two husbands. She’s kind of screwed, “Because that's what you want, isn't it?” Kendall declares what she wants is Dixie’s face out of her house right now, and Ryan agrees it’s time for her to go. When Dixie asks if he isn’t over this whole Kendall Hart Slater Lavery polygamy fantasy, Ryan says she has no right at all talking about Kendall, about any of this. Kendall tells Dixie if she wants her husband, she can have him! She doesn’t give a damn about him anymore. Right now, her only priority is her son, and she’s going next door to check on him. When she gets back, she wants this burglarizing bitch out of her house before she rips her little face off! She leaves, and Ryan asks Dixie what’s wrong with her? Surprised, Dixie asks if it’s her fault Kendall can't deal with reality? Ryan tells her the reality is that Kendall has been 100% faithful to Zach, and she can tell him he said that. All she has done is trying to help her and Zach beat this whole Madden murder rap, but instead of focusing on her freedom, what is she doing? She’s wasting her time riding Kendall, playing this stupid game, who's going to get the guy? “Well, it stops, Dixie. It stops right now.” NEED IS POINTLESS… Babe comes in, hugging her mama and greeting Winifred. When Krystal insists she heard a bump and then a scritchity sound, Winifred tells her she didn’t hear it, but that doesn't mean that there's not something in the tunnels. Colby moves back from the wall as Krystal starts toward it, but Winifred catches her arm and warns she wouldn’t do that—that sound could be pests! Colby cringes and looks around as Winnie goes on that it could be mice, squirrels, bats, large, scary rodents. It's not common, but it wouldn't be the first time. Should she call the exterminator? Krystal wants to hold off a bit. The last thing they need with a little boy in the house is a bunch of vermin-vaporizers storming through here spritzing poison at a bunch of rats with wings. Winifred takes her hand and says she’s going to check on Sydney; she wishes Miss Colby Godspeed and a safe return. She leaves the room, and Babe guesses that means there's no news? Adam must be out of his head. And J.R., even though he won't admit it. With Colby missing on top of everything else, it's got to be killing him. Krystal asks what about her? She’s all flushed—what’s wrong? Babe insists she’s fine. Her husband's sister is missing. She's probably hurt, maybe worse. She’s going to go upstairs and be with J.R. Krystal tells her she doesn’t recall seeing J.R. come in. Babe hopes he’s here, and goes upstairs. Babe comes back and says she’s checked every room in the house; J.R.’s not here. Krystal suggests maybe he went to join Adam, pitch in on the search for Colby, but Babe exclaims that Adam is on a boat in the middle of the ocean! Krystal knows something’s up with her—she’s getting a distress signal loud and clear! Babe repeats she told her, she’s worried sick about Colby and Adam, and most of all, she’s worried about J.R. Colby peeks into the room as Babe asks her mama how she’s holding up? Krystal admits she’s scared stiff. She doesn’t know how she’s going to help Adam if Colby is really gone. Colby holds back tears as Krystal goes on that when that little girl came into Adam's life, it's like the sun rose and just did not stop shining on him. If Colby isn't found alive, she’s afraid a darkness is just going to set in and she’s not going to be able to bring Adam out. Babe insists they’re looking for her, the best of the best, and they’ll keep looking as long as it takes to find her. Krystal asks what if they don't find her? What if Adam walks in that door alone and Colby's gone forever? Babe insists Adam will get through it because he has her, his wife. She saw her with him when he got the news that the search was coming up empty. He was devastated, but instead of closing himself off and turning his pain and anger into this cold, tough shell, he let her in. His wife. He let her hold him and comfort him and help him. God forbid, if the worst does happen, Adam's going to feel the worst kind of pain, but he's going to get through it; they’ll get through it together, because Adam trust her with all his heart. Krystal turns away to take Adam’s call. Learning that he hasn’t found Colby, Krystal thinks it must be some comfort to at least have J.R. there with him. Babe is upset when Krystal repeats that J.R.’s not there? She looks on longingly as Krystal encourages Adam, with him every step of the way. Krystal ends her call, telling Adam she loves him, too, and turns to find that Babe’s gone. Colby hears Sydney ask Krystal if she has a minute? She was just up in her room trying to read, and she kept wondering if Colby had gotten home yet. Krystal assures her if Colby came home, she’d know it—they’d raise the roof with all their hootin' and hollerin'! In fact, her victory cheer alone will just knock this house off its foundation. Sydney sighs she would never, ever want Colby to be dead or anything like that. It's just that it's kind of hard being around her sometimes, “I mean, having her hate me so much.” Krystal kindly says she doesn’t hate her, Colby just has a way of expressing herself. Sydney tells her she treats her like dirt, like she’s a worthless piece of garbage. She just really doesn’t get what she ever did to her. Was it really that hard sharing a Sweet Sixteen with her? Is she toxic, or ugly or something? As Krystal says not a chance, she sees J.R. come in. She tells Sydney to hold that thought, and she’ll be back in a flash. She goes into the foyer and asks J.R. if he’s going to get some shut-eye? He says no, a quick shower, change of clothes, and then he’s going to go help his dad find Colby. Krystal asks, before he leaves, can they talk? Krystal returns to Sydney, who asks her please not to take this offensively, but she’s not making much sense. Colby has everything she could ever dream of! She has her, Mr. Chandler, J.R., a family that really does love her. She has this crib, the car, unlimited money. Why would she be so insecure? Krystal says because of everything she just mentioned. For the longest time, she didn't have any of that, and this is a brand-spanking-new life for her. J.R. comes downstairs and listens as Krystal goes on that she's not sure if this is hers for the long haul or if it's going to be snatched away in the blink of an eye. That's why she won't share, “I mean, you can't be generous with what you're afraid you might lose.” Krystal sees J.R. about to leave; she hurries to stop him and insists, “First we talk.” J.R. insists he’s not falling off the wagon, and Krystal tells him she never said he was. J.R. wants to know if Babe put her up to this, “"Oh, find out how bad J.R.'s hurting, Mama"? Well, he’s fine, great, and he needs her to listen up because he’s going to tell her exactly what he told his wife, “I do not need a babysitter.” Krystal repeats he called her a babysitter? “Please tell me you did not talk to her the way you're talking to me right now.” Colby takes a step toward the tunnel opening, but steps back when she hears J.R. rudely say he doesn’t need this right now—he’s trying to find Colby! Krystal tells him to wait a minute. Who taught him that needing the woman he loves is some kind of weakness? Is that what real men do, shut out the women who are trying to get through to them? J.R. sighs there it is, all that self-righteous bull that he hears from Babe all day long. What, is she feeding her that crud? Is she tearing out marriage quizzes out of magazines? He doesn’t need this! “You don't need anything, do you?” Krystal asks. J.R. asks why would he? It's no use. What he needs is to find his sister. She needs to be back home safe even if she does have to do time. He needs to find Kate—does she have any hot leads there? He didn't need his mother to walk out of his life, but no dice. Oh, wait, no, she did make a miraculous return, but now he needs her not to be charged with murder, “You have any quizzes that cover that, Krystal? No, I didn't think so. Just like I said, need is pointless. It's just one big waste of time.” He’s already asked enough of Babe, and doesn’t need to lean on her for anything else. When Krystal insists Babe needs him to need her, J.R. says to give him a break! Krystal goes on that Babe told her the story of how they first met on the pier in San Diego. Babe was all alone, flat broke, not a friend in the world, no dreams, no hope, no future, so she gave him the only thing she had to give, her heart. And he accepted it, and that's why she fell in love with him, because he needed her love and her heart more than anything else in the world, and now she is reaching out to him trying to give him that heart again, and he’s swatting it away? Does he know what that says to his wife? That he doesn’t need her! Doesn’t he see how that hurts her? J.R. retorts that he appreciates her concern, but if he hears one more second of this psychobabble, he’s going to hurl! Krystal orders, “J.R., you listen to me and you hear me good. Now, Babe needs you to need her. That isn't psychobabble, that's who she is.” WOMEN SHARE, MEN DON’T… As she sits at the bar with Amanda, Babe wonders if asking J.R. to talk to her is really so much to ask? He's carrying around two tons of pain and he won't even share an ounce with her. Amanda says that’s men for you, “Women share, men don't.” Babe sighs maybe Bianca has the right idea. Amanda laughs that she really likes her, but not that way. She knows what she means, though, you just want a guy to drop the whole "it's all good, I got it covered" routine and bare their soul, but they'd rather gouge their eyes out than open up to you, rely on you, trust you with the part of themselves that they never let anyone else see. Babe is obviously thinking of Josh as Amanda concludes, “Oh, no matter how hurt they are, they just have to play it tough, freeze you out, and go it alone. You just want them to need you, and they do need you, but will they ever admit it? No.” Upstairs, in the Fusion offices, Josh packs up his things, tossing them into a file box, pausing to look at a picture of Babe in one of the ads. Di asks Jamie if he’s heard from Aidan lately, or does he know how she can get hold of him? Jamie says no and no, but asks if there’s a problem, other than the dozen or so he already knows about? Di says no, but he promised to help her prove that Tad is lying about seeing Dixie stuff Greg Madden’s body into her car. Jamie tells her to wait—she thinks his dad would just make that up? Why? Di says because he’s mad as hell at her sister and he’s made up all these horrible lies to get back at her. None of it's true! Jamie wonders how she knows that his father's a liar and not Dixie? Di just does. She insists Dixie didn't kill anybody, and she's not going to fry for something that she didn't do. “So you're just saying my dad's total scum?” Jamie asks. Di sighs as she says no, she’s just saying after what Dixie has put him through, after what she’s put him through, his father is a thoroughly messed-up guy. When Erin asks Jonathan how he is, he tells her good. Erin doesn’t buy that, but he insists he’s good, no problems here. ConFusion’s doing phenomenal, the numbers are going up, up, and up, he’s busy all the time. Erin says sure, he’s doing about as well as he can considering what's going down, and suggests he take a few days off. He can just chill out, rent bad, cheesy movies, and she’ll cook his favorites. Jonathan says no, he’s not taking any time off. He needs to work. Besides, he likes it here. The people are cool and he can actually talk to them without being brain-damaged or faking being brain-damaged or being a psycho killer, “Oh, wait a minute, I forgot. I am a killer.” Erin insists that Terry McDermott was molesting innocent young girls and he was going to hurt the girl that he loved. Jonathan nods, “So I killed him, which is great because that proves that I don't have to be criminally insane to take a life.” Erin maintains that Terry was the criminal, and the world is a much better place now. She sees Jonathan absently rub his ring finger, and assures him he’ll find it, his new life. It’s out there waiting for him, closer than he knows. Jonathan asks her to do him a favor and not be his supportive sister tonight, just the funny, cool Erin that he knows and loves. Erin wonders if the funny, cool Erin he knows and loves can buy him a drink, or is he still, like, on-duty? Jonathan repeats, “’On-duty’? Wearing a badge? Do I look like a cop or a doctor?” He’s a bar manager, okay? He may not be sure about much, but he does know that. Erin teases, “Oh, but, dear, sweet bar managering brother of mine, you never know what you might become.” Erin and Jonathan, Di, Jamie and Julia all turn to look when Dixie comes into ConFusion. Josh looks at the ad again, putting it in the box with his things, and turning out the light with a sigh. The elevator door opens, and he sees Babe standing there. He puts the box down and turns to her. Babe walks to him slowly, and they come together in a passionate kiss. YOU WERE WRONG… Kendall is thoughtful as she sits by the roaring fire, a snifter in her hand. Ryan joins her and says he’s sorry that her stardust night got ruined. When Kendall says he was wrong, Ryan asks wrong about what? “I do feel love for you,” she replies and moves to kiss him.

Friday, September 22, 2006 I ALREADY KNOW… “I do feel love for you, Ryan,” Kendall insists. She gently strokes his face, and kisses him again. Ryan whispers, “I love you.” He asks if this is this really happening? “I want to make love to you.” After another breathy kiss, Ryan tells Kendall she knows he loves her, but if they do this, “If we make love, you have to understand that I can’t stand back. I’m going to fight for you. I’m going to fight to have you in my life.” He doesn’t mean just as the mother of his child; he means forever—this is for life. Kendall looks into his eyes and abruptly gets up. Ryan watches through the window as she goes out into the courtyard and tries to compose herself. Kendall twists her wedding ring on her finger as Ryan looks at the framed photo of himself with Kendall, Spike and Zach. Kendall watches him and buries her head in her hands. She looks up to see Ryan watching her; she stands and looks up at the stars before going back inside. She tells Ryan she’s sorry she left like that; she shouldn’t have done that. Ryan says it’s okay, she doesn’t have to say anything. Kendall insists she does. She has to tell him where she stands with him, and with them. “I already know,” Ryan replies. Kendall says she does love him. She doesn’t know how it happened or when or why, but right now, here in this space, she wanted him. Ryan notes she ran off. Kendall says he’s been so good to her and to Spike. She thought that she would die if she didn’t make love to him. That’s why she had to get out, clear her head and her mind. Her head’s all over the place, and she’s a mess! Ryan calls her a beautiful mess, and says he completely understands. Kendall doesn’t think he does. She ran out of there trying to figure out what was the right thing to do. She wasn’t thinking about what she wanted or how good she wanted to feel in that moment. She was thinking about the consequences. She, Kendall was thinking about the consequences, and that sort of blew her away, so she stopped. She’s furious at Zach. He lied to her and he committed a crime. If this had been a year ago, she would have jumped his bones and wanted to make crazy love, to hell with Zach, as if nothing else mattered, but it does matter. Everything matters now so much! She can’t do that to him or herself or Zach or Spike. It’s one thing to be messed up and dysfunctional, but it’s another thing to drag their kid into it. If their getting together, if it’s not the real thing, the real deal, that’s not a chance she’s willing to take with their son. They’re going to screw him up plenty without having Mommy on the warpath! Ryan tells her she and Spike are his family, and they always will be. Kendall sighs they have this amazing, crazy, electric history, and it has blown up in their faces more than once. Dixie was actually right, “I want you both. I love you both, but that’s so wrong.” Yes, they have this history, but in spite of everything, there’s still a part of her that hopes she has a future with Zach. If she gives herself to him, it’s got to be just the two of them, free and clear, no one else, and she doesn’t know if she’s ever going to be in that place, “I love you, but despite everything, there is still a part of me that loves Zach.” Ryan admits there’s actually a part of him that’s glad she put on the brakes. He doesn’t want to move in if she’s not ready; he doesn’t want to take advantage. She’s hurt and has a million things pulling her in different directions, and he doesn’t want to be one of those things. He wipes away her tears as he says he doesn’t want there to be any pressure. Obviously, he wants this to happen between them, but not because she’s angry and confused or for revenge. He wants it to be because she’s in love with him and only him, and if that never happens, he’ll deal. He says it’s getting late, so he’s going to let her get some sleep. As he turns to go, Kendall asks if she can bring Spike home? She would really like for him to sleep next to her tonight. Ryan smiles, “One not-yet-screwed-up little baby boy coming up.” After they get Spike settled in his cradle, Ryan kisses his son good night and tells him to take care of Mommy tonight. He says good night to Kendall, but she catches his hand and tells him to wait. Ryan repeats, “Good night.” Kendall watches through the window as he stops to smile at her from his doorway. She looks at her son and says he is so beautiful. When he starts to fuss, she says she knows, she misses his daddy, too, and wishes he was here. He’s pretty special. Hopefully, someday he’ll grow up to be just like him, so generous with his love. And, hopefully, one day he will meet a very special little girl, tell her he loves her, and hopefully, she’ll be able to give him the love he deserves. HOLD YOUR BREATH… As they kiss passionately, Josh picks Babe up and sets her on the desk; her purse falls to the floor as he covers her body with his. Babe guides his hands down her body, and Josh asks if they’re really doing this? “I want you. I need you.” Is he crazy, or are they really doing this? Babe breathlessly says he’s not crazy, it’s not a dream, it’s real, so real! Josh loves her, and wants to show her how much. When he asks if she wants this, Babe tells him, “Yes. I want you, Josh. Make love to me.” Josh spreads a blanket on the floor, tosses down two pillows and holds out his hand. They move to the blanket and undress each other, giving into their passion and making love. Breathless and satisfied, Josh sighs he wishes they were on a hill. Babe laughs it would be more comfortable than this floor. Does he want to know what she wishes? She wishes they were at the edge of a huge quarry with a water hole below. And she would grab his hand and tell him to take a deep breath, and they’d take a running jump into the freezing cold water. Josh wonders if it has to be freezing? She laughs again, of course it does! It’s her dream, her water. Then, they’d hit the water, stay for a minute, hold their breath and kiss without breathing. Josh kisses her, and gets up. Asked where he’s going, he grins, “Hold your breath.” When Josh returns, Babe asks where he went? He smiles and says it’s time. He picks her up in his arms and carries from the office as she asks where they’re going? ONE HELL OF A PAIR… J.R. pushes away the food tray and brings up Babe’s picture and number on his phone. He starts to dial but thinks better of it, and closes the phone. He goes to pour a glass of water; he briefly touches the carafe of liquor before filling the glass with water. Adam calls and says there’s nothing on Colby yet. They’re dragging the ocean in the vicinity of the crash. Colby listens as J.R. insists everything will be okay. They’ll find Colby, she’ll be home soon, raising hell and racking up more legal bills to bankrupt him. Adam’s voice catches as he says he can’t lose his little girl, he loves her too much. J.R. knows he loves her and doesn’t want to lose her; he doesn’t, either. He says he’s going to come there, but Adam insists that he stay at home and take care of his family. J.R. thinks he needs a break. Adam repeats he needs to find his little girl. “Look,” J.R. exclaims, “You don’t need anybody, I don’t need anybody—we make one hell of a pair, Dad!” Adam tells him to go hug his wife and son; he’ll call when he hears something. He hangs up, and J.R. leaves the house. A CRIMINAL CELEBRITY… At ConFusion, Dixie asks Del for a club soda with lime, and tells Di it looks like she has a fan club; she’s a criminal celebrity. Jamie comes up and says he needs to talk to her alone. Di leaves, and Jamie says Di told him his dad is lying about seeing her with Madden’s body. He wants to hear her say it. Can she look him in the eye and tell him she didn’t do it? Dixie looks into his eyes and states, “Zach and I did not bury Greg Madden. Jamie asks how she can explain all the evidence against her? Dixie doesn’t know. Jamie notes either she’s telling the truth, or she’s learned how to lie. Dixie asks if he remembers a time when he and J.R. were little and she lied to them, “Hercules?” Jamie remembers, the hamster. Dixie says yes, they came back from school and Hercules had gone AWOL. Jamie nods, she told them he ran away. Dixie agrees; he had slipped away and somehow found his way into the dryer, and he expired on the permanent press cycle. They didn’t believe her then. If she can’t fool little boys, how could she fool grown men? Jamie says she’s going to go to trial. His dad is going to testify against her. What is he supposed to do with that? Dixie insists he’s not supposed to do anything, just let them handle it. Jamie exclaims she’s going to go to prison! J.R.’s had enough problems already, and if she goes to jail, his dad is going to have to live with it! Tad comes up and tells him to stay out of it. Annie comes in with Jamal, and comments it’s been a long time since she’s been out among people. It feels good to be among the land of the living again! She sees Jonathan and goes to hug him. She thanks him for saving her, and saving her daughter. He’s a good person, and he had to do a terrible thing. Jonathan laughs at the use of “good” and “Jonathan” in the same sentence; he doesn’t think many people in this town would agree with her. “The hell with what they think or say or do!” Annie exclaims. She knows who he is, and thanks God he was there. She hates what Terry did to Lily. Is she doing okay? Jonathan changes the subject to her being out for the first time in a while, and suggests he buy her a drink. They go to the bar, and Erin tells Jonathan she’s worried about him. The way he’s handling everything and dealing with what happened with Lily… Jonathan tells her Lily was done with him the moment she found out he was recovered, so there is no more Jonathan and Lily. The way he’s handling this is the way he’s handling this, so can they please leave it the hell alone? Jamie tells his dad to knock it off! He’s an adult now, this is his family, too, and he has a right to know what’s going on. Tad insists he can’t fix it. When Tad orders him to do what he says and back off, Jamie tells him to go to Hell, and walks out. Julia sighs as she tells Di the more involved Jamie gets in his parents’ drama, the more upset he gets. Surprised, Di says she thought she was done with Jamie. Julia retorts she may be done, but that doesn’t mean she stopped caring. Di thinks that’s obvious. J.R. comes up behind Jamie and takes the beer out of his hand as he’s about to take a long drink. Thinking it’s Tad, Jamie whirls around and demands, “What the hell do you think…” J.R. declares he doesn’t get to preach to him about the danger of alcohol when he’s tossing one back because he’s pissed about something. Jamie replies, “Your mom, my dad, at the bar. You figure it out.” Tad asks Dixie if she enjoyed that? Turning his own son against him? She seems to have a real talent in that department. Dixie counters, “Well, did you enjoy railroading me?” It’s not her fault James wants answers for his behavior! Tad wants her to tell the truth, she likes playing Jamie, batting those big baby-blues, making him look like a liar. “You are a liar,” Dixie declares. Di and Del come up; Di tells Tad to leave her sister alone, and Del threatens to throw him out. Tad guesses they’re done here. He sees J.R. and asks if he’s okay? J.R. snaps he’ll be a lot better off once he leaves his mother alone! Tad goes outside to find Jamie looking at the beer in his hand. He apologizes, he probably shouldn’t yell, but Jamie tells him if Dixie couldn’t lie about a hamster, there’s no way she could lie about burying a man six feet under, alive. J.R. joins Dixie and asks if she’s okay? What did Tad do to her? She tells him she’s fine, and asks if he’s heard anything about Colby? Told no, she takes his hand and says she’s so sorry. J.R. insists he’s not going to turn his back on her, but Dixie says he has to let her handle this. He has his own life, his family needs him. He has his son, he has Babe. Erin’s mind is obviously on Jonathan as Jamal tells her it took a lot of work, but he managed to keep everything about the network out of the media after Terry’s death. Watching her gaze, he asks why she doesn’t just trust Jonathan when he says he’ll be fine? Erin sighs she could finish this conversation for him… She worries too much about her brother. He’s an adult and can take care of himself, and she should get a life! Jamal chuckles, not exactly, but she says it’s okay. Those are the same pearls of wisdom she’s been getting for most of her adult life. Jamal tells her he’s been with the network for a while now, and understands the bond that develops between siblings that come from abusive families. Erin says Annie told her the best thing she can do is to show women there can be life after abuse, that you don’t have to be damaged and you can find happiness. Jamal agrees Annie’s right. Erin admits she wants that—she wants to be happy! Jamal advises, “Then do it, Erin. Be happy.” Jonathan gives Annie a frothy pink drink with a paper umbrella, and says that is to her freedom. Annie admits it takes a little getting used to. She just called to check on Emma. Of course, she’s fine, in her bed, but she can’t seem to stop calling every 30 minutes. She knows it sounds crazy, but… Jonathan insists it doesn’t. It sounds like a wonderful mom, and she’s never going to stop trying to protect her. Is she hungry? They’ve got some appetizers that are phenomenal with pink drinks, but he guesses everything goes with pink drinks. Annie asks how long he was married to Lily? She’s sorry… If he doesn’t want to talk about that, she understands. Jonathan tells her it’s all right. They were married on June 2nd of this year, at 5:14pm and 54 seconds. That’s when the judge declared them man and wife. Lily would be able to tell her the months, days, the minutes and seconds, but he… He just wants to help her if he can. Annie covers his hand with hers and insists he has helped Lily. He stopped Terry in time. He gave Lily the rest of her life. J.R. repeats she’s his mother, and he’s not abandoning her. Dixie asks what about his son? What about his wife? Shouldn’t he be home with them right now? His sister is missing. When J.R. says Babe’s not home, she’s upstairs at Fusion working, Dixie replies, “Okay, well, go get her. Go on, get your wife!” Ryan comes in, and smiles when Annie brings him a drink, “Looks like you could use one of these.” Tad says of course he loves Dixie—she practically raised him! Jamie agrees she is like a mom to him, but Tad insists she’s changed, a lot. Jamie agrees, of course she has; she almost died. “Then she gave away my daughter!” Tad exclaims. Dixie overhears as Tad says Dixie was looking for Kate a long time, for years. She was desperate, and desperation can make people do terrible things. Dixie comes up and says that’s right, “And if anyone can tell you what desperation can drive you to, it’s Tad.” She walks away, and Jamie asks, “See? Haven’t you done enough already?” CRIMINAL CHARGES PENDING IF FOUND… Colby opens the door to the passage; her eyes light up at the untouched tray of food on the ottoman next to the Pine Valley Bulletin. As she starts toward it, she heard Sydney and Winifred coming, and ducks back into the tunnel. Sydney tells her aunt that Casa Chandler’s been fun, but she wants to go home, now. Winifred sighs it’s been a very long day. Can they talk about this tomorrow? Colby listens as Sydney says she can’t stay here—it’s beyond depressing for her, and there’s no way she’s sticking around for a funeral! Winifred firmly says they are going to find Miss Colby, so don’t talk to her about a funeral! Sydney goes on that school’s already started. Why hasn’t her mom called to bring her home yet? Winifred tells her to sit down. She was going to talk to her about this tomorrow morning, but she spoke to her mom about an hour ago. She’s got a new job and she’s going to be traveling a lot for the next six months, which means… Sydney says it means her mom doesn’t want her home again at all. She just doesn’t want the hassle of her around. Colby is outraged when Winifred tells Sydney her mom asked if she could stay here, start school at Pine Valley High School. Sydney exclaims she can’t stay—the Chandlers don’t want her here! Every time they look at her, they’re just going to hate her because she’s here and Colby’s gone, Colby’s dead. Winifred tells her to go to bed, and they’ll talk about this some more tomorrow. Declaring this isn’t over, Sydney goes upstairs. Winifred removes the tray of food and leaves the room. Colby comes out to find it gone, but picks up the paper and reads the front page headline, “Chandler Daughter Lost at Sea”; below it, in smaller type, “Criminal Charges Pending If Found”. As Colby heads back into the tunnels with an armload of junk food and teen magazines, Sydney comes back and gasps, “Colby?” FULFILLING A FANTASY… Josh takes Babe to the roof, insisting she cover her eyes, and asks if she’s ready? Babe asks ready for what? He pours water of her head, and she screams it’s cold! Josh laughs it’s her wish, her water. She looks down at the kiddie pool she’s standing in and calls it awesome! Where did he find this thing? Josh tells her he saw it in the supply closet the other day, and she wonders why Fusion would need a kiddie pool? Josh doesn’t know, but it’s the perfect way to fulfill her quarry/water hole fantasy. There’s no cliff, but he figured… Babe delightedly pulls him to her for a kiss. Josh says the pool isn’t full, and starts to go get a few more buckets of water. Babe catches his arm and says everything they need is right here, and things heat up again… J.R. gets off the elevator into the darkened Fusion offices and calls out, “Babe? Hello? Anybody here? It’s me!” Turning on a light, he sees something and wonders, “Where the hell are you, Babe?” He holds Babe’s dress in his hand, “What the…”

Tuesday, September 26, 2006 TELL ME WHAT YOU KNOW! Kendall tells Spike he just tossed back that breakfast so perfectly! It must have been that good night’s sleep he had, unlike his mama. She had dreams that would make Sigmund Freud go running for the hills! Ryan comes in and tells Kendall he has sweet buns…and he brought some breakfast, too! She chuckles, but asks if this is how it’s supposed to be? They’re just going to act like nothing happened between them? Ryan shrugs what happened happened; it doesn’t have to change anything. They’re still Spike’s mom and dad. Kendall notes they almost got real crazy on the last hot night of summer. Ryan agrees, almost, but one kiss is not going to break them up. When Kendall protests it was a lot more than one kiss, Ryan insists they’re grownups and it doesn’t mean anything has to be different from now on. They’re Spike’s parents, and they’ll always be friends. Kendall agrees, but he wants more. Ryan tells her if they’re always just friends, he’ll still be the luckiest guy in the whole world. As Kendall protests he knows that’s not the end of it, Jamie knocks on the door. Ryan lets him in, and Jamie says he needs the truth. Dixie and Zach go on trial today, and something about that has been bugging the hell out of him so he needs to know what they think, “What’s the truth about Dixie and Slater?” When Ryan suggests he go first, tell them what he thinks is the truth, Jamie replies, “They’re being set up, and my dad is the one who’s doing it.” When he says he doesn’t think Dixie and Zach killed Greg Madden, Kendall asks what he knows? Did Tad admit he was lying? Jamie’s sorry, he can’t do this. He’s his dad, and he’s covered him a million times… Kendall begs, “Please tell me what you know—this is my husband we’re talking about!” When Ryan reminds her Jamie’s not the enemy here, Kendall insists, “I have to know if I have a future with Zach! Now, tell me what you know.” Does he have some kind of proof that Tad is lying? Jamie tells her it’s nothing concrete, but he looked Dixie in the eyes when she told him she didn’t do it. She was telling the truth. “Dixie’s eyes?” Kendall repeats, “You come into my home and get my hopes up over Dixie’s freaking eyes?” Dixie’s looked into her eyes, too, and told her she wanted her husband. She wasn’t lying about that! Ryan thinks they should focus on the facts, but Kendall asks Jamie if there’s something else he knows, some other reason he thinks Tad is lying? Ryan says even if Jamie does think that… Come on! Kendall flashes back to Ryan telling her he found the CD at her place, which means Zach put it there. She nods, “Oh, yeah,” and Jamie questions, “Oh, yeah, what? You guys know something, don’t you?” He begs Kendall to just tell him what she knows—he swears she won’t regret this! Ryan insists it’s nothing, but Jamie knows if it’s nothing, she wouldn’t have gotten quiet. Kendall says it’s either quiet or freaking out; she chose quiet. She glances at Ryan, and Jamie asks her again to please help him. He can’t let his dad do this to Dixie! Ryan says, honestly, they don’t know anything that proves Dixie’s innocent or that Tad’s lying. If they did, they’d be the first people to step forward. Jamie angrily leaves. I BLAME MYSELF, TOO… Jonathan and Amanda are smiling as they go into the office at ConFusion, and she says last night was amazing! Who doesn’t like a little lovin’ under the stars? Maybe next time they should bring sleeping bags and camp out all night. They could tell ghost stories and eat S’mores! Jonathan grins, “If I recall, we had S’mores, and then we had S’mores, and S’mores, and S’mores after that.” As they laugh together and share a kiss, Jack comes into the office. Amanda says she’d better start setting up the bar, and hurriedly leaves the office. Jonathan tells Jack to go ahead and say it, he’s a heartless S.O.B. who moved on to another woman before the ink on his annulment is even dry. Jack tells him he’s not in any position to comment on anything he does, but Jonathan notes that never stopped him before. Jack doesn’t think anyone knows better than he does about his feelings for his daughter. He believes he deserves all the happiness he can find. Surprised, Jonathan asks why he’s here? He thought everything was finished with the case. Jack agrees it is, but he brought something by for him to see; he didn’t want him to be blindsided. He hands Jonathan a copy of The Exposer; Jonathan looks at his own picture on the tabloid’s front page with the headline “Murderer Gets Away With One More!” He shrugs they’re going to say what they’re going to say, and there’s nothing he can do about it. Jack calls that a good attitude, but feels this is all his fault. He did everything he could to bury him! The least he can do is talk to that editor, set the record straight, let him know how he saved his daughter. “What are you looking for, Jack?” Jonathan asks, “What do you want from me?” Jack says he knows he blames his for destroying what he had with Lily, and they agree there, “I blame myself, too.” Jonathan says he’d like to blame him, but ultimately, he’s responsible. He’s the one who lied to Lily, told her he was something he wasn’t, so he’s the one that set everything in motion. He’s the one who betrayed Lily. Jack replies that he’s the one who didn’t believe in his daughter’s abilities or her heart; Jonathan suggests they just say they’re both at fault, and leave it at that. The important thing now is that Lily heals, gets her life back. He doesn’t think he can do anything to help with that, but if he could… Jack assures him he’ll let him know, believe him. Jonathan says he’d be there in a minute; Jack knows he would. He holds out his hand; Jonathan shakes it, and Jack thanks him before leaving. Amanda returns and says she set up the bar… She sees the tabloid and exclaims, “What a load of crap!” How can they print all these lies about him? Jonathan points out, to be fair, it’s not all exactly a lie. Amanda thinks too much of it is, and starts to call the editor to demand an apology and a retraction. She rethinks it, and says she’s calling a lawyer. Jonathan asks her to stop it, please. Everyone he knows and cares about knows that this is a total lie, and that’s all that matters to him. Amanda protests he’s worked hard to make a life for himself, and he deserves better than that. This isn’t fair! They shouldn’t be able to do that, not to someone as good as he is. Jonathan thanks her, and wryly welcomes her to a free and open democracy. Calling them a bunch of soul-sucking leeches, Amanda leaves the office. A DIFFERENT REASON… Josh goes to the roof, and flashes back to making love to Babe in the kiddie pool. When he returns to the office, Simone says she never thought she would thank Babe for anything, but she was right. This campaign is awesome, and they are lucky to have him! Josh shrugs it’s too bad they don’t have him. He’s going to miss it around here, “Good luck.” He starts to leave, but Simone asks if he does one campaign for them and then he ditches? Josh tells her that last night Babe informed him his services are no longer needed. She let him go. When Simone protests she can’t do that, Josh says actually, she can. Simone realizes, “Oh. Babe made her choice, didn’t she? She chose J.R. over you.” Josh says Babe made an executive decision, but Simone insists there was nothing executive about it; she was thinking it was either him or her marriage. Erin warns her to shut up, and tells Josh they really want him to stay. Simone retorts she should shut up—she’s just trying to get the 4-1-1! What happened last night? Josh says it was late, they were alone, things got a little crazy, and they picked pink instead of green for the final logo splash. They complimented each other on a job well done, and then she fired him. Well, it wasn’t that harsh, but she said she didn’t need him anymore. Simone declares if Babe doesn’t need him, she certainly does. Erin calls her as subtle as a flying chain saw, but Simone insists she needs him for a project. She was waiting until he was done with Babe’s teen campaign before she scored him for hers, “I’m officially hiring you back.” Josh tells her he’s not going to let her use him to undermine Babe, if that’s what she’s after. Simone sighs she’s been there, done that. He’s good, possibly even brilliant. Erin notes he’s cute, too, and Simone asks why not take advantage of what little testosterone they have around this place? Josh tells her if she clears it with Babe first, he’d be happy to help her with any project she has around here. Simone says she’s going to hold him to that, and suggests if Erin could find a positive attitude, she could use her help with the samples. They leave the room, and Dani tells Josh that was a nice little spin job he put on it, but it sure wasn’t the truth. Josh tells her not to worry about him and Babe. Dani says whatever happened between them, she’d never tell anyone if he needed to unload. He was there for her when no one believed in her, her mother was against her, and when she really needed someone the most, he was there. Josh agrees it sucks when no one cares what you have to say. Sometimes you just have to make people listen, get the ball rolling yourself. Dani smiles as she says even though everyone else may think he’s an arrogant jerk, she knows his secret. Josh returns her smile as he says he’s a huge arrogant jerk. Dani doesn’t know where he and Babe stand right now. Personally, she thinks J.R.’s a jackass, and Babe’s a fool for not running away as fast as she can, but if he ever needs help with Babe or anything around here, he knows who to call. Josh appreciates that, but this is something he has to take care of on his own. Jack shows up at Fusion as Josh is about to leave. Told Kendall isn’t here, Jack says he was actually looking for him. Josh asks about Lily, and Jack says they’re taking it day by day, “Thank you for asking.” He says today is his day for swallowing his pride, and Josh is next on his list. They never did see eye to eye… Josh calls that putting it nicely, and Jack goes on that Erica is his mother, and she wants to have a relationship with him. So, if he’s been any part of the reason he’s been steering clear, he wants him to know he’ll give him whatever wide berth he needs. He just wanted him to know that. He starts to leave, but Josh says to tell him something, “You didn’t want me to know the truth about my parents either, did you?” Jack admits he didn’t. He didn’t want it to disrupt his family; things were chaotic enough already. But, Erica and Jeff did it for a different reason, “Because they wanted to protect you.” The elevator door opens, and Josh leaves. MY LITTLE GIRL IS GONE… J.R. finds Babe asleep on the sofa and kisses her hand, “Wake up, Sleepyhead.” She sits up and tells him, “J.R., it’s you.” He asks who else it would be, and Babe quickly says nobody. He says he loves her and missed her, “Please tell me you’ll never spend another night away from me again.” J.R. suggests she wake up, and he’ll go get her some coffee. Krystal comes in and asks if she slept on the sofa? Babe nods, she conked out here, and Krystal comments that she chose the sofa over 800-thread count and her husband? What kept her away from J.R.’s bed? When Babe says nothing, it just happened, Krystal notes nothing just happens with her. Com